The Tragic Harmony Of Life
by slayer123bio
Summary: Shinji has a new life, however, the power of Eva is coveted by the world and a sinister plot threatens his new life, NERV calls upon him. Will Shinji be able to kill humans for the safety of Humanity? or will he sit by and watch.
1. Chapter 1

The tragic harmony of life

**The Tragic Harmony Of Life**

Author's pathetic notes: Hello, it's me again with another Eva fanfiction. You're all probably wondering what happened to death is salvation if you have not read the announcement. Fact is, I stopped it, I was not enjoying it any more, the realism was poor, character development was overlooked and Eva is famous for its characters. Overall it felt like I was throwing in a mixture of Star Wars, Dragon Ball and Gundam.

None of it really felt like Eva except for the Eva's them selves and really, I did not give them justice, making personalities are great but the great thing about Eva was the mystery and I think I crossed that line when I introduced Tezum. I also added people who were cleanly dead just because I thought it would be nice if everyone is alive. But a great thing about a story is making it believable and in fanfiction that can be hard due to not just sticking with believable but also canon material as well.

So here is my new story which has really got me giddy to write and trust me when I say death is fickle was the only fanficiton that made me feel like this. So here I go, I hope you enjoy this as much as I am going to absolutely adore writing it.

Brazil, Rio Grande Do Sul, population 732, 219. Rio Grande Do Sul, most of the time the only thing you hear of Brazil is Rio de Janeiro like America comes with names like New York or Las Vegas.

Rio Grande Do Sul, translated, means large river of the south which is fitting for its large amount of ecoregions which had increased due to second impact. Most would say that second impact just made Rio Grande Do Sul that much grander. Not in terms of people or culture but in the land's beauty, like a plant that grows after forest fires.

This place was spectacular to traverse and the way the buildings were built was superb. Homes built into jungles with nothing but the dirt at your feet and plants and trees everywhere to provide shade. Men and women practically walked in sandals or no footgear whatsoever. Bicycles and cars had made many routes by driving through certain paths so much that nothing could grow in their path, a small sacrifice considering it was rare you saw many cars traversing Rio Grande do Sul anyway.

The climate was usually a burning 37° degree with the sun rising at 5 AM and going completely down at 11 PM. Every night it rained but by the time you woke up everything was drying or dry, it made the air moist and fresh as the market would open up at this hour.

It was about 6:35 AM when as young man was walking down the opening market, his lungs inhaling the fresh smell of fruits, meats and linen and silk which, when mixed with the smell of the vegetation like air, became intoxicating. The young man wore a white shirt with nothing but a necklace of a silver cross hanging from his neck and a pair of green shorts. He walked bare foot in the still damp mud, allowing the cooling earth to help compensate for the rising heat. His sandals were tied around his neck as well while he held a beautiful pot in his arms, painted and made to perfection.

"Bom dia!" men called to him as he walked along the market, he replied in turn, brown eyes scanning over a water melon. "Quanto?" He asked the man still preparing his shop with his three sons of varying age helping out.

"For you, a morning's gift my friend." The man in his late 40's said pulling out a knife and slicing the melon in to fine pieces to be then put into a box. The young man took the box and placed it underneath his arm pit.

"Muito obrigado," he said before moving along to the end of the market. The man sighed in relaxation, enjoying the feeling of the breeze against his bare muscular chest and abdomen. A few years ago he had dreamt about being beefy and strong but he was always too lazy to work on it to the point of out right giving up. He was not the type to spend a lot of time in the gym but making money or just helping friends and neighbours with laborious tasks had seen that his muscles adapt, and for that he was proud. Not too mention he reaped the benefits of helping others instead of centring on making himself stronger. Of course, being treated to meals with families and being renowned had its perks, this morning being a prime example as he inhaled the smell of melon in its container.

"Shinji!" the familiar cry called from behind him, the chuckles from the shop owners waned him of his female friend running up to him again, all giddy and out of breath. The man known as Shinji turned to face her in questioning and she gasped a few more times, looking up into his face, at the age of 20 Shinji Ikari stood an impressive 5'11 and with the sun to his back and the light playing off his sun kissed skin, she could not help but to stare.

Shinji sighed at her with a shake of the head. "You're drooling, Maria," Shinji said looking away at the men watching before they went back to work with big grins.

Shinji sighed again.

Maria was a great woman and was at the pinnacle of her growth with long chestnut curly hair, tanned skin and emerald green eyes. She was in a blue dress today with the hem now dirty from the mud; it was not her fault though. Her mother wanted to hide many of Maria's features to stave off leering men as the incident on the beach forced her mother to go to higher extremes.

Maria thought Shinji Ikari a god, she was told about what he had done 5 years ago and took it upon her to follow and see him as one. She was obviously in love with him, and the prompting from her parents to marry the world saviour and get him to flaunt his status to the world, which he tried to hide from, was not helping. The thing was, Shinji could only ever think as Maria as a younger sister, anything past friends could not sit well with him.

Of course, the other women all over Rio Grande Do Sul came to see him as soon as his name had spread. If it was not thanks to Mister Rodriguez taking him under his wing and coming out with a loaded shotgun, Shinji may have been to his shoulders with children and marriage proposals.

"My mama sent me to give you some fresh lemon juice," she said holding up a bottle of fresh lemon juice with added water. "She even added the correct amount of sugar, she sent me out to get a huge amount of lemons in preparations for the Chacarera. Are you going to help…?" She began before looking at the marvellous pot in his hands. "Wow, did you paint that as well as make it?" She asked leaning in to have a closer look, the smell of fresh paint playing off the many colours spread across it.

"Yes, I've been working on my painting skills recently as my pots are very good quality, but I also wanted to give them more life and if you check my pottery house you can take the new cards and fill out requests on the shape and purpose along with any painting themes you want. It will cost more but not by much. It really depends on the size of the pot I'm painting on." Shinji explained as he began to walk his way down a slope that lead to an overview of a large waterfall pouring out huge amounts into the river below. The length of the waterfall was easily 180 foot with trees and plants on either side. Shinji smirked as a helicopter hovered over the dive as a bungee jumper jumped out, fell all the way down into the water, and then came back up with a "waaaayy!!"

Maria giggled as they continued down to a house overlooking the basin of the waterfall, the rushing water growing louder, like a thousand lions roaring continuously after a kill. The house was quite large and the couple living in it were very rich. Shinji nodded to a little natural pool and they sat down to clean their feet, not wanting to walk into another person's home with dirty feet. "I'll do your feet," Maria said and Shinji thanked her.

The first time someone had washed his feet was by a man showing gratitude and Shinji had felt weird but knew it would be disrespectful to decline. Nowadays Shinji washed or got his feet washed or massaged at least once or twice a week. Most people came to him to pay for massages as he was being taught it by Maria's mother to initially help with his pottery as he could not quite grasp the centering of the clay until she taught him some techniques.

Maria had also learned a lot from her mother as Shinji was clearly feeling, his neck held back to allow the breeze to play across his neck and the sun to beat down on his face. The breeze ruffled his brown hair as Maria worked each digit until she was satisfied with one foot and moved to the other. "A man was asking for you today…,"She started brightly and Shinji opened his eyes a little. "He was foreign, I think Chinese or Japanese, to be honest, I can't tell the difference between the two." Shinji smiled as he rolled his neck as she finished his foot.

Shinji moved to do her feet and she smiled trying to hide her blush. "What did he want?" Shinji asked being a little careful as her feet were quite sensitive and would jerk quite a bit and send her into small bouts of laughter, her giggles were indications that it might just happen.

She giggled some more, "He said he always wanted to say 'thank you,' a thank you the world should have said in unison…the rest was kinda hard to understand, his Portuguese was not that great but he sounded sincere, at least to me." She said as he finished and they both put on sandals and walked to the door of the big house, a maid in a skimpy dress walked by and Shinji's eyes lingered before Maria nudged him in disapproval. Shinji just smiled sheepishly before it disappeared, a thought of a red head and blue eyes popped into his mind and he quickly shook his head.

He had moved on, he had left almost everything behind for a new life, a life of peace and one where he was recognised and loved by the people around him. Unlike life before he could laugh with others without feeling that tinge as if he did not belong, as if they were only appealing to him for their own selfish reasons. It was not true but the odd smiles and the constant task of trying to fit in and be something he was not, it did not sit well with him. Even if they were selfish, Shinji still loved them, the few months they spent as a family, made of bonds and not blood, was the greatest thing to come into his life.

Maria knocked the door as he looked to the east, he had heard NERV had pilots and Evas and an article even discussed the de-fossilization of Eva-01. It focused on the argument that unit-01 be left as a fossil to stand in Tokyo-3 as a monument to the war and Humanity, and many people of very high status wrote to the government and NERV about the issue, however, NERV was not built to sway to the people or what they wanted, it was built to protect humanity as a whole. Evangelion-01 was being de-fossilized despite the argument no pilot was working it.

Then the case of finding Shinji Ikari to pilot it, it was the worst week he had ever had in 5 years. The people of Rio Grande Do Sul had unknowingly begun to put pressure on Shinji with small questions like "Are you going back?" or "Will you fight and kill humans now?" The most impacting was when Asuka had come on to do her second conference for NERV. She had stated that he was useless which he took in stride, it was Asuka, and he would expect no less, the part about him always running away stung like the third Angel breaking 01's arm all over again.

He only got news from the locals but even the mention of the 2nd Child's first syllable had his ears tuned and head turning.

His thoughts were cut short as the door opened to reveal two young women, American if he was correct, twins with blonde hair and green eyes dressed in white summer dresses.

"Sim?" The one on the right asked.

"Holla, I'm Shinji Ikari-" He began, completely ignoring the gasp from both as if it was an everyday occurrence, and in a sense it was, "-yeah, your husband ordered this with the painted finish of a rainbow plant," He said holding the pot up. The women backed up while one ran off with a gasp like a fish out of water.

"Sim, entrar em, entrar em," she said gesturing him to take his sandals off along with Maria and they followed the blonde into the main room, the marble floor cooling their feet as they entered to look at the expensive main room. Curtains of silk and linen flowed down over open glass doors leading into the garden which sported many trees and vegetation and a lovely pool. A man with black hair sat on the couch in a white shirt and black knee high shorts. His blue eyes were scanning a paper before he looked up at Shinji and smiled.

The man stood up and pulled Shinji into a hug while patting one another's back, out of the corner of his eye he saw the two women focus on him with observant eyes, one was speaking English to the other and he recognised the words of "boyfriend," "Eva," "muscles," and a name that almost snapped his neck up towards them, "Asuka". The man then turned to hug Maria as well and she greeted him with the same affection. "Bom dia, Roger," she spoke stepping back as he gestured for them to take a seat.

Shinji and Maria took a sat down while Roger took a seat opposite them, Shinji smirked as the twins sat down either side of him and Roger nodded as well. Maria frowned at Roger before shaking her head. "This is Kathy and the one to my left is Monica, as you can tell they are twins and my…concubines?" He said with a little mirth in his voice. The woman on the right licked her lips with eyes pointed to Shinji's crotch, Shinji played it smooth and stayed locked onto Roger's profile, experience with a certain red head had its rewards. "I see you managed to complete it," He began lifting the painted pot to admire its shape and painting, rough hands playing over the smoothed clay.

Shinji sat back as a he sipped some lemon juice from his bottle. "I hope it is up to your expectations, if not, then I will take it back and give you your money back and try and reach a design and quality you app-" He stopped as a wave of a hand from Roger and the genuine smile showed he was happy with it.

"Shinji, you are one of a kind, people say you are a battle hardened warrior but all I see, we all see, is a kind hearted man trying to do everyone around him justice and compassion." He said with sincerity and Shinji seemed to draw in on himself as he blushed. He nodded to show he was not being ungrateful, despite all the praise he had received over the years, Shinji rarely got praise about his character and that was the praise he was looking for, even if he did not know how to show it.

In NERV, people did not have time for him, he knew now that that was fairly true. The vast amount of skill, mechanics and maintenance to run NERV and keep it to its best, to have the greatest chance of fighting for humanity's survival, was the hardest task of them all. Even the cleaners had it rough; the amount of floors and rooms they had to clean was astounding. Technicians had to figure out how to make sure every signal he threw at his Eva would work. That meant checking, re-checking and triple checking all the systems, wires, electrical pulses, feedback connections and the multiple artificial intelligences were also in check, and they had to do that sometimes within a week while he only had to sit and fight in the damn thing.

In a way he was always getting the better end of the deal. The emotional support he had was and is the only reason the world is as it is now. If Shinji won an award for saving Humanity he would immediately hand it to his friends, his only regret was not staying for the awards and doing so. Many people had asked, "Was it so horrible there?" and he would always say no. It was not NERV or the people or the fights or the world on his shoulders, it was simply the truth. Asuka was right, he was running away, Tokyo-3 was his home, he missed it and hated the city even more just for that fact. He wanted to talk about it but in the same breath he knew that if he kept thinking and talking about it he would return to Tokyo-3 within a few weeks.

He looked up at Roger and smiled, perhaps, one day, he would consider this wonderful place his home.

One day…

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Shinji carried two large buckets of water up to Joshua, the local butcher, before Shinji and Roger took a bucket in both hands and threw it onto the deck to wash away the blood coating the table surface. Two of Joshua's daughters moved up to work on brushing away the blood, having become used to the stomach turning and nose wrenching smell, before their father brought more raw meat to be cut and chopped for the large barbecue in preparation for the Chacarera.

The two giggled as they whispered something to each other and Shinji just smiled in happy ignorance. He looked across the staging of the festival as men and women brought fresh grass and laid it across a very wide area for the dancers. Said dancers were going through some routines in their bright blue clothing off to the side with Maria watching as she was still too young to participate in the dancing category.

"Shinji, Roger, can you go into the back and get me out a cow, we've got a lot more mouths to feed this year." The two chuckled at that. Ever since the incident known as Rebirth, the world leaders had decided on promoting bigger families which meant more children. Now the threat of the Angels was done and dusted it was time the world rebuilt back to its former glory.

Shinji and Roger walked into the back and shivered at the cold as they entered the meat line room. They quickly went about finding the biggest skinned and bled out cow before placing on some gloves and unhooking it from its chain. "This is very heavy…" Roger breathed out with a face of concentration as he and Shinji lifted the meat. "You would think he would have some kind of machine to lift this monster, good grief." He growled as they started to sidestep out of the room and back into daylight huffing and puffing as they went along.

"Yeah, he did say he wanted the men around here to get stronger. When I came here I was really skinny until I began working for Joshua. It has its upsides." He heaved as they shoved it onto the large table, and Joshua lent back from sharpening his blade and cut it through leather before making his way over to his prey. Shinji knew that look in Joshua's eyes, as Maria's mother said; Joshua had a beast he set free whenever it came to carving things up. It made you look at the man with a new fear which he rightly deserved. Joshua was a big man with a bit of a gut but the rest was all muscle that looked like it could dent even an Eva's armour.

"You boys leave the rest to me, Alicia wishes to see you, Shinji, concerning some drink her and her daughter, Maria, were working on. Roger, you lucky bastard, you get to help me a bit longer." The hulking deep voice of Joshua was music to Shinji's ears and a sign of another upcoming apocalypse for Roger.

Shinji jogged off with a type of evil smile he was only recently getting used to displaying. He spotted Alicia around a big basin made for storing drink or water, the basin was 6 meters in diameter and had five women squeezing lemons over it to drip the juice into the pool of lemonade. Alicia was ordering the amount of sugar to be placed into it while some men and women sat around on mats cutting the lemon in the barrels in half for squeezing.

Alicia turned to the jogging steps of Shinji and smiled at him, long flowing blonde hair and green eyes, no one would believe her a mother if they met her on the street. She was in a light brown dress that fell to her shins and wore a green necklace given to her by her husband, Paul, who was mayor of Rio Grande Do Sul. "Ah, Shinji, so glad you could get away from that bear; Joshua, I just wanted to ask your opinion on the bottle of lemon juice I told Maria to give you." She said looking him over with a wink and that must have meant Maria must have been watching.

Shinji smiled and shook his head at her antics. "The drink was lovely, you really did great with the amount of sugar but a bit more water could do as the flavour is kinda too…bold?" He said turning his head slightly to catch the angered look of Maria directed at her mother.

Alicia nodded and placed a hand to her mouth as she giggled. "Okay, take Hailum and fetch me some more water from Rodriguez, will you. That old man gets picky on the use of his fresh water and he seems to like you best." She reasoned as a crash of a pot on a window ledge turned a few heads. Shinji looked up as a brown haired teen came running out of a shop with a gasp and Alicia sighed while Shinji shook his head at Hailum. "Speak of the devil…" She breathed while the angry words of the shopkeeper were thrown at Hailum while he just scratched his head.

Shinji walked over to the shopkeeper and calmed him down, promising to fix it with some money from Hailum to compensate for the pot. Hailum picked up the pieces before he skittered after Shinji as he moved off to his house, which was a few minutes walk away.

"Sorry, Shinji-sir, I uh, you know me and spiders, I saw one and kinda jumped back and knocked it over and-it was an accident." The teenager said not too sure what else to say as he tried to find a proper balance on the broken pot pieces as they were digging into him.

"At least you apologised to Mr Diego, I would be upset too, you're lucky I'm around or else you would be coughing up 500 easy." Shinji toned as he walked down the sloping path with the sight of his house and a duffle bag beside it. He stared at the object before varying right to the house on a cliff to the side. Rodriguez was outside on a deck chair reading through a newspaper. The old man lowered his paper and then tilted his head low to peer over his glasses with almost accusing eyes.

"I swear, Mr Rodriguez hates me, I swear it." Hailum said looking away from the old man with agitation, knowing the exact reason for such thoughts.

"You called him a paedophile 3 years ago in open streets because he would not give you back your ball. I don't think I'll be too fond of someone who gave me a bad name for a year through and got the police involved." Shinji said honestly as they moved closer and closer to the old man, apparently in hearing range, Shinji needed to keep telling him self that Rodriguez had white hair but he had very sharp hearing.

"And you'll still never get that blasted ball back," The man said with a fierce disapproving glare, Hailum lowered his head and grit his teeth.

"I said I was sorry, it's not like I knew what I was saying back then." Hailum tried to defend himself and Shinji smiled as he saw himself in the boy, murmuring defensive words that he dare not say face to face.

"Do you tell that shit to your parents?" Rodriguez asked in a mocking tone. Shinji sighed; he was doing that a lot lately. Rodriguez was a sardonic man who took a lot to convince and a hundred times more than that for him to even _tolerate_ you.

"Maybe you two can settle this at another time; Alicia wants some water for her lemon juice for tonight." Shinji told him, completely expecting a retort to follow.

"So?" He pointed behind him at the sea. "She wants water, then she can go get it, I'm not stopping her." Rodriguez said as if it was the simplest thing to do, and to ask him was like asking for permission to breath.

"You know I mean your fresh ice cooled water, come on, old man, just four buckets. I promise to fix your fence and get rid of those cats that keep leaving their mess on your 'lawn'" Shinji bargained while Hailum bit his lip, trying hard not to smile as he placed the pot pieces on a table.

"Deal and I want it done by the end of the week!" Rodriguez agreed as Shinji and Hailum moved to the side of the house with a mill, having multiple filters, spinning out the clear blue water. Shinji smiled at the sparkling Ice bed the Old man topped up every morning. They scooped fair amounts out with the four buckets provided. Their hands joyfully skimming the freezing cold surface. Shinji glanced at Rodriguez before indicating to Hailum to take a drink and he did so with reverence and joy.

They both enjoyed the freezing cold water travelling down their sand dry throats, their bodies seeming to get cooler just by the one gulp alone. Their bodies relaxed and they looked at each other with smiles of contentment as they looked at the sparkling diamond sea ahead. That was until a voice behind them tensed the two males up. "That extra scoop will cost you a free pot to me," Rodriguez said with folded arms. Shinji and Hailum looked back at one another and laughed before Shinji promised to do so and before he left with Hailum struggling with his two buckets.

Rodriguez smiled to himself and nodded before it evaporated into a straight line. "I took care of him for five years and this life I lead now is everything I wanted. You take him and not only are my status in the marduk revoked, but I also get my meaty payment." Rodriguez said folding his arms as a figure came around the house.

"That was the deal; Misato is epithetic with your feelings and wishes to thank you in this way." The man behind him said, cloaked in shadow.

"I owed Kaji a lot, and since I could not help him when he really needed me, I suppose this is my way of paying the little debt I owed the bastard," Rodriguez sighed with regretful eyes, emotions in his voice he let out every once in a while. The man behind him began to leave but Rodriguez stopped him with a hand on the man's arm. "Promise me; promise me, Jack, that you will protect him, all of them. I never met Shinji when I was doing the search and reports for the institute but the others; I know them like they are my own children. Keep all the children I found safe, that's my final request." Rodriguez finished, letting go of the arm of Jack.

"I will, Axel, even if I lose my life doing it, I will protect them." Jack said before leaving to follow Shinji and Hailum, Rodriguez watched him go before collapsing onto his seat. "Sayonara, Ikari-san."

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Shinji walked home, late in the night as many of the locals also retreated back home, the Chacarera had been amazing as always with a light drizzle that cooled everyone down. The dancing was fantastic with a new cast of moves the girls had been working on for some time. The meat at the barbecue made his mouth water like a dog seeing raw red meat after a decade of eating dry food. The sliced fruit mixed with the meat made it taste sweet while keeping to its natural form, the traditional man's food was shared with the women as well and the singing was intense.

The music was live, drums and violins and an assortment of other instruments as well, that gave the Chacarera its ignition. Once it reached after 9 PM the children went home and it changed to club music, Maria even got Shinji on his feet. The music made his heart beat and created beads of sweat across his body, the rushing wind helping to cool him as the bass of the music vibrated through his body.

He was still coming down from his rush, his shirt and shorts were covered in water from the soaking some of the women threw on the ones dancing to keep them cool. Maria and Shinji had gone their separate ways with kisses on the cheek and a boa as parting.

He looked ahead with light from the huge fire pit behind him providing illumination for him as well as the aid of torches that were stacked high up so children could not light or touch their burning flames. He chewed the last of his water melon, a new favourite, while he held sandals in tired hands. He had been lifting and twirling girls in the air all night, young and old, it was fun for all and it was about being with friends and not so much flirting as Maria had kept a careful eye on every woman including her mother who liked to tease her daughter like no other, even if that meant using him to do so.

He chuckled, he was used to being used, but this was something he was completely fine with, and it warmed his heart even more knowing this. Shinji checked his watch as he approached his medium sized home, it was 11:39 PM and he was starting to feel tired from the eventful day. All he wanted to do was go in the house, read the foreign news, finish a painting, have a bath, enjoy the view of the moon in the river and then fall asleep while doing so.

He raised his head as a figure sat by his door with a duffle bag beside him. The figure stood and brushed himself off, looking over the man Shinji recognised he was of Japanese birth and was dressed in a green shirt and shorts. The man had brown eyes and messy hair but only a slight scar under his left eye defined him.

"Hello, there, Shinji-san," the man spoke in Japanese and Shinji nodded, carrying an expression that was not foreboding or inviting. "I am Jack Steinbeck, and before you say it, my mother was American." He filled at Shinji's open mouth ready to ask the question.

"Well, hello Steinbeck-san, come in, I'll make you a glass of water, you look very thirsty," Shinji said opening the door and walking in. Steinbeck raised an eyebrow at the unlocked door. "Yeah, it was not much to rob that everyone else does not have, and being world saviour apparently makes it a very _wrong_ thing to do," she filled him in.

Jack sat down on a rather comfortable couch and waited as Shinji fetched some water. The house was dark with only a few candles being the only light source in the house. It was very relaxing, the moon light also helped make the house the type of place you could actually sit down and admire the beauty of nature and the world humanity had so little time to just sit down and look at. The man reclined and looked out over the river as the moon reflected in it.

The sound of feet approaching made him sit forward and receive the drink with great thanks. "This is an amazing place you live at Shinji-san, it really is." Jack said reclining again to watch the moon reflect off the waters surface making it look like there were two moons. "Glorious."

Shinji chuckled and sat back before leaning over and lighting some incense sticks. Jack reached into his duffle bag and held up a cigar and gestured to Shinji if he was okay with it. Shinji merely shook his head "As long as it relaxes you, then that's all that counts." Steinbeck nodded with a smile, lit the cigar, took a long drag and blew out, relaxing back as he did so. "How can I help you, Steinbeck?" Shinji said admiring the view. Shinji had heard from Maria that this man had wanted to thank him. "If you're here to say thank you, then don't worry, it was tough but a thank you really makes it seem worth it. The fact you travelled all this way for that really lifts my spirits." Shinji sighed massaging his arm muscles.

Jack sighed as well and took another drag. "That's the thing Shinji-san, I'm here for more than that." Steinbeck said, reaching into his shirt breast pocket before throwing a card onto the table.

Picking up the card and reading the identification of NERV section 2 Jack Steinbeck, Shinji Ikari looked up, eyes hard and mouth set. A stream of emotions were pouring around his mind as a colossus conglomeration of thoughts followed with it, however, Shinji did manage to speak. "What do you want from me?" He asked, voice straight and to the point while Jack tapped some ash off his cigar into an ash tray.

"The thing is Shinji-san, it's not what I want that counts, and it's what Misato-san wants." Shinji's head rose a little at his previous guardian's name. He stared at Jack as thoughts of Misato rebounded inside his skull, how she treated him, supported him, made him see the silver lining in every situation. She was one of the many driving forces that kept him fighting, a mother figure he nurtured for, and she took the role like a champion standing tall after beating Mike Tyson after losing an ear.

"What does she want, and why do you speak of her so familiarly?" Ikari spoke uncomfortably, he realised he was being very defensive over nothing. He had to gleam some information out of this Jack, it seemed pretty obvious what he came here for.

"Shinji-san I could bullshit and tell you she wants to talk about the good old times, but Misato-san told me to be direct and the fact is, NERV, Misato and humanity need you again." Jack said before starting quickly as Shinji was about to give his obvious response. "Now before you tell me anything, you need to know Misato will keep sending messengers until you come to her, in the Geofront." Jack finished, smiling at Shinji's hard set face.

Shinji Ikari was struggling for answer, not because he was against Misato or NERV or anyone. Shinji just knew if he went there… he was not sure he would come back. Shinji had spent these past 5 years in wondering, "what if's" and "if only's" plaguing his mind while he stared at the moon. He would always think of how it would have been if he had more backbone towards Asuka, if he would have stood up and admitted his feelings towards her and most impacting, if he would have carried her feelings and supported _her_. It was not just Asuka he was thinking about. Misato was like his mother and sometimes he longed for her advice and company, not because of what she said or did, as either were not always inspirational, it was the enthusiasm and the fact that, despite his nature and his words, she never gave up on him and always thought of his safety first in any situation. The motherly, caring love he had desired was a world away. He could meet that, no doubt muscle bound jock, Toji and his other friend, Kensuke.

However, Shinji had built a relationship he had never built over in Tokyo-3, maybe because there was no threat to the world or anything like that but nevertheless, Rio Grande Do Sul was a family unit and he was part of that. He woke to everyone saying "hi" to him with genuine smiles. He had made a career out of pottery and art, a non-violent use of his life and one that resulted in constant praise.

"Shinji-san," Jack said snapping Shinji out of his thinking like state. "I'm not telling you to leave here with me right now, my plane leaves tomorrow." Jack tried to help, but Shinji shook his head.

"I can't just walk around town saying my goodbyes, I love these people-" he began before being interrupted.

"Shinji-san… Why did you pilot Eva?" Jack asked finishing off his cigar.

Shinji looked up at Jack and then back down to the floor in thought. "I did it because I was order-because if I didn't…we wouldn't be here today, everyone would be dead." Shinji said, though, he was not sure if he was saying it for himself or Jack.

"Again, _why_ did _you_ pilot Eva, why does a hero fight the bad guys, why does a soldier go off to fight?"

Shinji shook his head and gave a long pause as he thought before raising his head and locking eyes with Jack. "To protect…" Jack gestured for him to carry on. "…we fight to protect our loved ones, I thought to protect Rei…and then as I met more people…I wanted to protect them to," He finished now looking at the ground, eyes darting back and forth. "You're saying I have to fight to protect these people, the people I love?" Shinji asked, wondering again if he meant it as a question or a statement.

Jack raised his hands to the side "do I have to answer?" and for the first time, for what seemed like a millennia, Shinji heaved and let the tension fade from his muscles. Jack Steinbeck leaned in and placed a hand on Shinji's knee. "If you love these people so much that you want to spend your life here with them, then that's fine, but at least hear Misato-san out, that's all I ask," He said leaning back and taking his hand off Shinji's knee. "you have some thinking to do and people to say goodbye to. I'll pick you up at 8 PM tomorrow at this place, okay?" He asked as he stood, mindful to pick up his bag as well. Shinji just nodded and waved a hand for him to go. Jack patted his shoulder and left the house. Shinji fell back onto the chair and sighed a sigh of something he did not know. He wanted life to be straight and easy; did he not deserve at least that much for saving the planet? And who was he going to fight.

His stomach turned at the thought of fighting angels or even worse… humans. He hoped Misato had less influence as she did before or else he would be involved in another devastating year of war.

His thoughts drifted to Maria and then Asuka before he fell asleep.

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He finished zipping up his large duffle bag and looked around the room. Shinji had only saw fit to pack only the vital objects and nothing that would take up space when he did not need it, besides, he was only going to Japan to hear Misato out and then come back…

He sighed "Yeah… right… before I know it, I'll be thrust back into another battle," He said placing a hand on the wall before cursing loudly.

"Shinji?" The voice Maria at his door snapped him out of his little exercise of aggression. He sucked in his breath, held it for two seconds, and then let it out before walking to the door. He opened it to find Maria looking at him with a bottle of lemon juice in one hand and some barbecued chicken on a stick in the other. "We didn't see you this morning and the post and milk men said you were packing away," She started, looking past him to the two duffle bags on the table. He watched as she pulled the items to her chest and looked at him. "What's going on?"

"Maria, I-I…do you want to come in?" He asked needing time to form the proper words he wished to tell her, he rather her breaking down in his home than outside where it could cause a scene.

Maria walked into the house and sat down on the white couch, her eyes roved around the barren and cleaned room and her forehead tightened in concentration as things became more and more confusing. "Shinji?" She asked finally looking at him as he rested against the wall, head pressed against the marble.

"That Japanese guy I met, he's with NERV," He began as Maria gasped and started to get up and move towards him. Shinji closed his eyes and bit off the thought of walking out the door, _I mustn't run away!_

"What, why now, can't they leave you in peace? They said no more angels would come, that our lives would be safe from those monsters, those aliens-"

"And it is, at least I'm guessing. I believe this has more to do with a human enemy, one that may try to cause something that would destroy our choice." He spoke softly, his legs pushing out and sinking him to the floor.

"Choice?" She asked, the words ringing something inside her brain. She was getting more and more confused by the second but the fact that he was leaving was ripping her apart, slowly but surely, already she could feel a tear start to build in her eyes.

"The choice you made to come back here, to come back to reality. Everyone made the choice, you just don't fully remember, it was literally an out of body experience." He breathed out, moving a hand over his face and scratching at some stubble that was going to get shaved if it was the last thing he did.

The silence from Maria was penetrating and Shinji believed, if only for a moment, that she had fainted on the spot. He opened his eyes just in time to catch a tear go down her right cheek. He stood up and hugged her, ignoring the sharp end of the stick digging into his ribs. "But why you?"

"They said I had to go to Japan to find out, and if I wish to follow them then that's great, if I want to stay here then they'll respect my choice." Shinji felt her wrap her arms around him and sniffle a little, she was trying to fight back her tears.

"So…, that means you are coming back, right, you're not going to stay here are you?" She asked looking up into his eyes with her watery ones. For some reason, Shinji had serious trouble telling her he would probably stay there, maybe even after this whole thing was over. Maybe it was the fact he wanted to protect her, or maybe he was afraid of her getting hurt or possibly the fact he was running away from the grief, either way, he lied.

"Yes, I'll come back straight away, they can handle this without me, it's only because the commander is-was my guardian, otherwise I would have told him to go on without me." He said with a smile, averting his eyes from her as she buried her head into his chest. His smile evaporated and he stared out to the waterfall not too faraway.

The roaring stream…

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The roaring jet made its final landing preparations as Shinji Ikari looked over to his left as Jack flipped through a porn magazine. Thankfully, Shinji's blood tolerance was not so high he would be shooting blood from his nose as he saw a pair of breasts, it would help if he got on Asuka's good side enough to be subject to her teasing.

"All passengers please wait until we have come to a complete halt and the red sign, to your right, turn to green which will indicate when to take off your safety belts. Again, we hope you enjoyed Fuzikawa's flight service and hope to see you soon. Arigato!" The flight attendant said over the broad communication. Shinji wondered why they simply did not say it to his face as he and Jack were the only people on the private plane in the first place with a about 3 squadrons of military flight craft as his escort.

Shinji glanced over at Jack as he closed his magazine and leaned over. "Alright, when we get off this plane you say nothing, you can give a little wave but keep your mouth shut, the media likes to try and get dirt on stars and will use any information against you, trust me on this one." Shinji gave Jack and quizzical look as the shuddering halt of the plane indicated their stop.

"They know I'm here? How was the information leaked?" Shinji asked as he undid the discomfort of his belt, _first class, my ass_, he hoped to God he would not appear on the news or on the paper with some false bullshit as a header.

Jack started to laugh and patted Shinji's shoulder, "There is only one woman I know who would do this and think it would help you." He chuckled as he pulled out a small shoulder bag and placed it over his shoulder, the bag was black to match his section 2 suit and glasses while Shinji was dressed in khakis and a white vest.

Shinji's shoulders slumped at those words. "Misato, huh?" he filled in as they both moved to the door and the sealing hissed open before the door started to open horizontally. Shinji was assaulted by a hot wind and the blinding sun which got its kicks off blinding people, why else would it do it?

He expected to hear the noise of the sea as the airport was built close to it but instead the clashing of voices could be heard before their pitch and murmurs rose and turned into screams as he stepped out with his hand trying to block out the sun. His eyes adjusted to the light to witness a sea of bodies screaming his name with a dizzying load of reporters, too many to all come from Japan. "Kami…" He whispered in awe as the amount of people waiting to see him stretched to the horizon. Drums and instruments started up with a classy up beat "Fly me to the moon" instrumental with hundreds of cheerleaders making formations in synch with one another. Up in the sky were large balloons of him and of Eva-01 in a chibi form.

"Ikari, stop staring like a retard and start waving," Jack said as they descended the stairs. Shinji did not hear him but he did pump his fist into the air, he immediately regretted it as the assembled mass of people did the impossible and grew ten times louder with whistles and cheers that he could bet was vibrating across the planet. A huge 30 foot plasma TV was displaying him on one of the buildings with many more dotting the country making him blush slightly.

Shinji shook his head as it was becoming too much and he patted Jack to tell him it was time to go. Jack glanced over his shoulder and nodded, he flipped an ear piece that must have communicated with other section 2 operatives. "Get the copter; we're breaking out to NERV."

A few seconds after the words left his mouth, a black albatross started its approach and five U.N YF-22's streaked across the sky leaving a trail of colours before they shot into the air with white vapour trails and moved in a pattern to write his name in the sky. The Albatross landed on a helipad near by and the police and section 2 agents did all they could to hold back the titan which was a good portion of Tokyo and then some as Shinji walked to the albatross with Jack barking orders a step behind him.

Two heavily armoured soldiers waved him onto the Albatross as he lowered his head under the force and dirt being kicked up by the three rotating blades. They strapped him in along with Jack with the audible click just making it to Shinji's ears as the roar of the crowd and the rotating blades was almost deafening him. At this point Shinji had the random thought of wondering if he was still under NERV's health plan.

He continued to wave as the craft began to take off but a woman from the crowd broke through with a baby in her arms and ran up to the helicopter. "Religious nut inbound," Jack said over his radio as the woman screamed for Shinji to bless her baby. Shinji himself was stunned by the desperation in her actions and voice as five section 2 members hauled her away with the screaming baby held securely in their arms, making sure not to harm either. "Stupid woman, bringing a baby to this event, the poor thing is probably deaf and if not by the crowd then the rotor blades would have done it." Jack stated as the Albatross ascended into the air and started to move off.

"What the hell was that all about?" Shinji asked, shocked with his heart beating a hundred miles a second. Jack looked over at him and shrugged.

"If you put the world saviour over someone's name some religions or religious people will believe them to be a reincarnation of Christ or some holy deity or person. Don't worry about it, Asuka gets it all the time, it's nothing new, it's just a side effect of saving the world." Jack assured the 3rd child but Shinji still did not look happy about it.

He believed himself a human that made a choice, one he thought was for the benefit of mankind so as to not allow him to pull them back unless they wanted to. At the time many people just started appearing, it was later published in a book that humanity had a set amount of time to return to reality before the souls in the sky disappeared. Technically Shinji and Asuka were the first after the incident known as the Rebirth and have been coined the modern Adam and Eve. What surprised him most about the title was Asuka, she only batted her eye lids at a conference she was doing for NERV and answered that she was Asuka, not Eve, a simple yet straight forward answer.

He now understood why she said it, he should have been thinking the same after all the time spent with Misato and the innumerable times she had reminded him of his humanity and the power of his free will…perhaps that was how he managed to make the choice for the instrumentality project. Did Misato know he would have to make the choice all along or was it just her way of bringing him up? He put that on his mental list of questions to ask the maj– … the commander. He nearly forgotten she was a commander now and not a major anymore.

Shinji's eyes scanned over the glistening structures of Tokyo-3 and gasped at the site of an Evangelion holding a small flag saying "Welcome home" with some NERV technicians stationed around. The Evangelion was black and with a quick scan it was obvious the Eva was unit-03.

"Welcome home, Shin-man!" came the familiar voice of Toji over the Eva's communication speakers. The cheers of the technicians made him bite his lip and lowered his head. His mouth wobbled as it went through a series of emotions before he looked up and blinked away a tear. If Misato wanted to make him feel welcome, if Japan was truly happy to see him, and if his best friend was willing to pilot the cyborg Evangelion that had wrecked his legs before Rebirth, then Shinji was willing to say at least one phrase in thanks for their efforts.

"I'm home."

Author's notes: Finally, I'm glad I did this chapter, I was actually under much debate and originally I did a page on Rio Grande Do Sul and then moved straight to Tokyo-3. I then reviewed it critically and said, this would not appeal to anyone unless they had a short attention span. I decided to focus more on life for Shinji without making it seem like he forgot about Tokyo-3.

The hardest part about this chapter and probably about this whole story will be Shinji and how he reacts. The current Shinji would be a Shinji with backbone and a mixture of the manga Shinji and the anime. When I was planning this out I realised that, this fic would have to be a few years after Rebirth as I had told my self I would do no time skips apart from a few months at a time. In my previous fiction, I was going to throw in three time skips but now I'm not going to lazy about with this work.

Spelling should be fine and my grammar is always in need of improving, I guess my beta readers might be able to cover that. Another challenge will be the OC Jack Steinbeck who will have an important role of supporting Shinji and the pilots as a hole.

My writing has stepped up its game and I love it, if you compare this to my first ffan fic then fuck…this is a real big jump and expect to see this much or better quality as me and this fanfiction, as well as my beta readers and you guys, evolve the story.

Just before you think he will appear, I must tell you Tezum and the other EVA OC's will not be in this fanfiction. There is the problem of who the fuck will be the Evangelion's soul and after much debate with my friend Steven, Rahhel, and Gurren Gainax, I've figured it out and I hope it will be suitable for this fanfiction.

I'm not a pro fanfiction author so I do need you guys to review.

Constructive (Constructive being the keyword here) criticism is encouraged along with any support you guys are willing to give. I'm not a review whore anymore but reviews will encourage me to write that much quicker and if you have any questions then be sure to ask as I'll answer them at the end of every chapter without revealing too much of the story.

I'd like to thank my beta readers who tolerate my shitty grammar and tell me to kiss their ass when they are not in the mood to work. That's Micheal Yu and Rahhel:

**Rahhel: "Damn straight, you should be fucking thankful you review whore! BUAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAA" **

Finally, I wish to say thank you for all you readers who took an interest in this fanfiction. I'm hoping you will give me your support and in return I'll try and finish this with that much quality.


	2. Taking Charge

**Taking Charge**

**NERV HQ**

Shinji watched with a sense of excitement and nostalgia as he stood in an elevator with Steinbeck and a squad of bodyguards. He had tried to get rid of the extra security but Jack had told him of the NERV rookies who would be on their knees and in his face with questions. It made him wonder about the bridge bunnies, Ibuki Maya, Hyuga Makoto and Aoba Shigeru, they had been the main technicians of NERV and he had spoken with them occasionally. Now he wanted to make up for that, he had changed and he supposed it was time to show people he was willing to take steps to know them.

It was dark in the elevator as they descended into the Geo-front. From what he could tell, the Geo-front was "the" place to be. People with high class professions, from all over the world, had migrated to Tokyo-3, the city of technology and paradise, or so the appellative goes. It was amazing how the buildings moved and the whole entire city transformed, a technological marvel and it was the primary location for advancements in humanity today.

It was the new centre piece of culture as a book about it being the birth place of all mankind; the Garden of Eden as some called it, had pulled in religion, archaeologists, scientists..., all the people ending with "tists". Shinji himself did not see it in that light, it was more like a heaven of some kind, like a place the world could escape to, though, the living expenses were horrendous for foreigners, a deterrent to stop people coming over seas as within two years Tokyo-3 and Japan, for that matter, had become overpopulated.

Shinji's eyes widened as the darkness disappeared to be presented with the sight of the Geo-front or, controversy know to a select few, as the "Black Moon." It was like watching a diamond float in a sea of colours. It was too early for the buildings to start their mechanical process of descending into the Geo-front, which had become once a week as it would be a waste of power to do so. His eyes played over the green, lush landscape to the pyramid which was NERV headquarters, changed from its dark purple colour to a sea blue. It felt like the stuffy elevator had become fresher the moment he laid eyes on the marvel of the geo-front.

"No matter how many times I see it, I always feel awed!" Shinji told Jack who smiled and nodded their heads before they were engulfed in darkness. Shinji stood back and reached into his pocket to look at his new card with a frown. He found it quite bold of Misato to renew his NERV status as pilot for Eva without speaking to him first. Well, at least he knew it was Misato; she was the only person who would do this kind of thing and believe it acceptable despite his feelings.

Again, he frowned, what would she do if he said he was going back to Brazil? She had always told him to fight because he wanted to fight, a thing he still could not really believe. He loved Misato; however, Misato had this problem with keeping her words in line with her actions. It was a fault he had learned to adapt to and something he needed to look out for in their coming discussion. The elevator doors slid open to present a panting Toji in his plug suit, dripping a weird pink colour onto the floor. "You rushed all the way from the Eva cages to greet me?" Shinji asked rhetorically, getting a nod from Toji who then stood up straight and smiled. They both looked each other over with smirks at how one another had changed. Toji was very well built, more so than Shinji who was beefy in his own right, he was also taller and his face sported a short beard that gave his face a much more manly charm. Shinji was less inclined to grow his; it made him look unrefined while Toji seemed refined no matter how it would grow. Toji's hair was slightly longer and he sported a scar on his chin that made Shinji tilt his head a little in wonder.

"Hikari and I had a real intense argument and she was cooking at the time and had the knife in her hand. I said some pretty mean things and then she swiped at me," He chuckled as he, Shinji and Jack started to walk towards the commander's office, the extra security completing their role to escort Shinji to NERV HQ. Shinji shook his head with a smile at his friend, only Toji's life could be that weird. "Man, you've grown, you used to be skinny and small, now, do you do body building or something, because I thought I was the only muscle bound freak around here." He queried, stopping at a drink machine before holding his NERV card up to the scanner and then pressing for two Cokes, knowing Jack did not like Coke he got him some orange juice instead.

Shinji cracked the seal and drank the fizzy liquid down his throat; it had been awhile since he had Coke. In Rio Grande Do Sul; drinks were made fresh, straight from the fruits growing on trees, not to mention the Coke (now with actually coke in it) and Pepsi industry were still rebuilding and only serviced a certain number of lands. "You've grown too, Toji, your speech is a lot more refined, articulate, and you finally have a beard," He appraised, "So, how's things been going, the last time I saw you...well..." Shinji trailed off, lowering his face with a pinched expression. He was patted strongly by Toji who shook his head with a disarming smile.

"You should be passed this, I am, anyway, thanks to Rebirth I got my legs back and started a full time career as a NERV employee and Evangelion pilot, the pay is awesome and you're practically an immortalized legend." He informed Shinji with cheer and a burp causing Shinji to smile.

"But, why did you go back to being an Eva pilot, I mean, aren't you afraid, the first time you got into Eva...it was a disaster," He said, not understanding Toji's reasons at all. Shinji knew, every time he thought about it, that if he were in Toji's shoes, he would never pilot an Evangelion again, especially not that one.

"You inspired me, Shinji," This shot Shinji's head straight up with the most confused and perplexed expression Shinji had ever formed in his life. It was an expression that brought Toji to his knees in laughter and took him a moment to recover enough to speak. "Hahaha...Oh Kami, Shinji, you're a riot sometimes. Anyway, yeah, I mean think about all the dangerous and painful things you've been through. What I went through was nothing in comparison..."

This did not earn a convincing look from Shinji at all.

"Listen, when I was in bed, fucked up, all I thought about was how easy I got out of it. I lost a leg and some more for my life, when you were risking your life almost once a month. I had my reasons to agree to be an Eva pilot, my sister being the strongest of all. I wanted to help you guys after that battle, the one where I got in your Eva, I felt as though I was not doing enough. It never really registered until I was given the position; I wanted to help you, Rei, Misato and even that bitch Asuka." He scratched his head at Shinji's void expression. "I guess I'm just making up for the time I should have been with you guys instead of laying in bed. Anyway, how's this Rio Grande Do Sul place you've been living in?"

Shinji looked his friend over, not fully agreeing with his reasoning but letting it be for now, it was not like he was fighting anyone. "It's an awesome place, the kind of place you would love, if we are not working, we are having fun, playing all kinds of sports. It's always sunny, there is always this great breeze and the sights are awe inspiring. The people are really friendly, and we have festivals once a month!" Shinji told his friend with pride and joy as Jack ushered them to keep walking.

"Wow...it must be great, you never were this enthusiastic about any place before, how long have you lived there?" Toji asked, swiping his card across the scanner into another elevator before stepping in with Shinji and Jack.

"Hmm, going on 4-5 years, at first they swamped me like crazy, wanting me to bless their children, marry their daughters, and give them money. I was surprised there was little media getting in on it as well. Sometimes they wanted me to bless their money, marry their babies and bless their daughters."

"That's because Misato-san tried to give you the most peaceful life possible." Jack threw in causing Shinji to turn and look at him.

"Yeah, Shinji, the press are fucking brutal, I once said I had a secret to my fitness, the next thing I know; the papers are saying I take steroids. Ain't that a bitch? So we mostly get Asuka to handle it, the press loves her and she is going to be in another movie...did you watch her first one."

"The Devil's Doll?" That freaked me out; the way they tortured Lia, Asuka's character, with voodoos was graphic and painful to watch, at the end of it, all I managed to say was _God...Damn!_" This instantly brought everyone to laughter knowing they had said similar as well. "Her acting was awesome, though, it really was, and I was finding it hard to believe Asuka was Lia."

The elevator chimed and the doors slid open causing Shinji to freeze at the site in front of him. "I hear ya," Toji replied looking at the ceiling in memory. "Asuka's a super bitch in real life, didn't know she was so good at playing a caring person." He finished before noting the silence. "Aw shit… she's standing in front of me, isn't she?" Toji asked, still looking at the ceiling.

"Uh-huh" Jack said causing Toji to look down at her with a sheepish smile.

"Suzuhara, your situation can only be described in one rude word." The beauty said to him.

He sighed dejectedly before filling in, "fucked."

"I hope you like prolonged synch tests. I'll call Maya up, she is always happy to do them. I suggest you make your way there, or else I can choose something that much more boring for you to do." She ordered as he nodded and jogged off, waving to Shinji as he went.

"See ya later, Shinji!" He called as he went round a corner, Shinji, however, was too fixated on the living Goddess to reply. There stood Asuka, a woman to literally die for; her black stockings gave shape to her long, strong, feminine legs until they went to mid thigh, being covered in her business skirt. She wore a captain's jacket, the one Misato always used to wear, in fact, it was roughed up and fading, he could safely assume it _was_ Misato's. She wore the jacket zipped up to display her hourglass figure before ascending to her busty rack and finally to that spotless, smooth, creamy face, blue eyes, full red lips and flaming red hair. This woman needed no make-up to show off her beauty.

He shook his head as she at stared him with an emotionless gaze, he needed to focus, he could not, would not, back down. He knew what he had to do; he had played this scenario out for 4 years and had double checked his methods over on the flight. Here was Asuka, a hopefully more mature Asuka than what he was used to, to what he remembered.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening her them to look deep into his. "Ikari Shinji, first, I would like to say welcome to NERV headquarters, Misato is waiting in her office so please make your way there quickly." She began, however, Shinji was already blown away by those words alone, and he even mouthed the words '_what the fuck_' in utter disbelief. He did a double take and rubbed his face. He had been adamant that she would at least show some anger, resentfulness, hatred, sarcasm, hurt, grief, anything! Not this calm, calculated and mindful person standing in front of him, perhaps it was one of her fronts she used in these types of situation. He could not have expected her to stay the same throughout these last five years.

"Secondly, it is my intention for us not to speak to one another unless important, I'm sure you are well aware of our...past situation and one that I will never forget," He began to open his mouth but she raised a hand, silencing him into place. "I believe this is the best method to choose. I doubt you will be staying in Tokyo-3 for long before going back to Rio Grande Do Sul, don't you agree?" she asked rhetorically.

Maybe he did not know it was rhetorically asked, maybe he just did not give a damn, and all he knew is that he needed to sort this out. "That's right, I don't agree," He said, he mentally pumped a fist into the air as her eyes narrowed. "We need to talk about what happened back there," She began to interrupt but he stopped her by raising his voice. "You need to understand my reasons for what I did; at least even if you don't forgive me, at least you understand my reasoning." He said forcibly, making sure to keep eye contact. _Come on, Shinji, keep it up, keep the momentum._ "Now, are you free sometime today?" He asked her, taking a breath as she gave him a quizzical and surprised look before reverting into a more curious mask.

"I am, between 6 and 8, though, if we are going to speak, we may as well do it over something to eat...there is an Italian restaurant on 32 Kuroza Street, be there at 6: 30, you're paying." She finished the conversation before turning to Jack. "I want the Evangelion status reports and the status on the IW project as soon as possible." She said before entering the elevator and pushing Shinji out. Jack walked out and turned with a low bow to her.

"As soon as possible, Captain Soryu" He confirmed as the elevator doors closed. Shinji looked at Jack as he stood up straight.

"I-is she your superior?" Shinji asked thinking that Jack was second in command to Misato.

"Yes, I'm with section 2 and chief advisor; we're still waiting to sort out the applications for secretary, too many applications to work for Asuka." He explained simply as they carried on their march to Misato's office.

Shinji sighed and took a deep breath, so far so good. Asuka had changed _a lot_, no doubt about that, he was and still is surprised on how she spoke. She still had her pose of superiority and somewhere during his and her standoff he saw a spark in her eyes. He wondered what her life had been like while he was gone, he was not sure if he could get them back to how they were before, if he did, he would try his best to work up their friendship.

"We're here." Jack said

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Shinji stepped into the office with Jack, the commander's office had changed a hell of a lot better than it was. Gone was the dark gloomy room with the weird symbols meaning God knows what? The room had been changed with the colours taking on a lighter pale paint and the windows were untainted, it gave off a magnificent light to the room and some windows were open getting rid of that lingering coffee smell. In front of him was a large simple desk with very few papers on its surface, however, Shinji's focus was on the occupant of said desk.

Misato Katsuragi beamed up at Shinji for all her worth, body holding back suppressed need. Shinji smiled and held out his arms and Misato immediately got up and ran into them. Shinji had expected to be knocked off his feet, but due to his size being a whole 7 inches taller than she, he took the impact without much problem. He hugged her as she snuggled into his chest and inhaled his scent; reminding herself of the boy she had to let go, only now truly understanding just how much she had missed him.

Misato stood back to look him up and down with approval, shaking her head she said; "It's amazing how you've grown, you're not skinny anymore, you're all buffed out like a tank." She said with a wink causing Shinji to laugh in humour at her. She was always playfully suggestive, could or at least tried to lighten the mood with such silly things. Misato had not changed at all, she would be 34 this year, yet, she looked like she was in her mid twenties, she was ageing very well.

Misato looked over to Jack and nodded her thanks before focusing her eyes back on Shinji, she almost laughed at the change, and she had to look up instead of down like four years ago. "I'm jealous," she began playfully, "My growth spurts were never that good when I was growing up, you kids are all growing up to be monsters like Toji and Kensuke, even Asuka is taller than me." She mumbled the last bit before returning to her seat with a heave.

"You're ageing wonderfully Misato, I'll probably look like an old man when I'm you age," He said with a small smile. He looked over her uniform, a deep black jacket and business skirt with red trimmings. "You've also risen in the ranks as well, what with after being demoted after the trials." He said remembering the trials so clearly. Just because Shinji was scot free because he saved the world did not mean Misato or any of the NERV staff were. Everyone had to be put under investigation and their daily lives were incredibly restricted until the investigation was over. Misato, Ritsuko, the bridge main crew and a few others had to be brought in for trial. It was the only time Shinji had left Brazil to defend Misato and the NERV crew.

Many people said Misato and the rest had got away as they had a living breathing world saviour at their backs and others said Shinji did well to defend them and there was not enough actual evidence and too much theories and the like to properly prosecute them. The end result was light compared to the alternative, restricted lives for a year of surveillance and investigation, demotions and special treatment, and not the good kind.

After a year and some time, they were let off and returned to their normal lives, well, as normal as you could get after you were considered key factors of humanities continued existence. Compensation money as well as added money that was not available during the Angel wars was accumulated and presented to them. There was not a NERV employee above engineer who did not get offers of over 6 digits, the pilots...they hit an obscene amount of money.

Misato had been demoted but had worked her way up and she had a lot of credit and raving preferences and references to her profile on her excellent work in the angel wars. These two forces, coupled with Misato's will, pushed Misato back to the top as NERV commander.

"So," Misato said after their brief fall into the memory. "Did you bump into Asuka?" She asked with a smile and raised her eyebrows.

Deciding to take a different route then being reserved, Shinji asked; "Do you mean: did my setup for you and Asuka to meet work?" Shinji said leaning in towards her, locking eyes with his past guardian before she leaned back into her chair and breathed out.

"You got me, I set you two up, but only for your benefit," She defended while Shinji gave her an unconvinced look, "Okay, I was also curious how you two would interact with one another. Anyway, did it go well?"

"It could have gone a lot better, I would have preferred if she mocked me, scolded me, slapped me, or punched me, but...nothing. She was very quiet and straight forward, very little flare." Shinji shook his head before raising it to Misato's chuckles.

His questioning look made her calm down her giggles. "I think you would have been shocked at the words she directed at me and the words about you when I said you were coming over. Of course, I could not understand a lot of it." She answered his unspoken question with mirth.

"Was it bad?" He asked with little hope.

"It was the good bad; she kept talking about you, even if it was not in a nice way, probably changed once she was left to herself. Did you two sort out what happened on the beach?"

Shinji's eyes widened in complete and utter shock, his mouth opening in utter horror before he closed it in absolute shame at the thoughts and how Misato's view on him must have changed. "She told you what happened." Shinji stated rather than asked.

"Nope, the only thing she told me was that it reached ahead at the beach you two were reborn on." She said while her face pinched at his extremely relieved expression. She never seen anything on that level, sure she had needed the toilet for a few hours and when she went she was in a paradise, but this was something else. "It's really that bad; I thought Asuka was blowing it out of proportion...damn." She blinked before looking back up.

Shinji gave her a pissed off expression as she knew not how deep this was. If possible, this would remain between him and Asuka and they would carry it to their graves. He had good faith that Asuka did not want to tell what happened to her in fear of being considered defiled.

That thought churned Shinji's stomach and he almost considered returning to...

"Misato," He said seriously, causing Misato to straighten herself out and place on her serious face, waiting for the expected question. "Why do you want me to pilot Eva again, why do you want me to kill my own kind?" He asked strongly, eyes never leaving hers.

She sighed before looking at Jack who went to the windows and pressed a button on the wall. The room darkened to a pitch dark state before the windows turned into images with information and reports rippling along the special pixel enhanced glass. The images changed to a map of the world with certain areas being coloured in many bright and dark colours.

"3 years ago a group was formed called HIC, we are not sure what the HIC stands for but we do know some of their members are starting to build up arms for war. An evil thing to do as humanity is still healing even if we are rebuilding at incredible speeds. HIC want human instrumentality to occur again, this time they want humans to stay in there and only a select few can stay to recreate the world in their image." Misato said as images of reconstruction of military bases were shown.

"We have a mole inside who has not been found out yet, he cannot, however, find out or record the conversations of these members. What we do know from this mole is that HIC is composed of people who knew had to use everything around them to the greatest effect possible. Some are generals, others your average people. It was one of these people who managed to place up false images of Eva's killing humans in a newspaper which then put the whole of the world on top of us until an editor came forward and told us of the fakes." Jack added.

"Most disturbing of all is their weapons development strategies and they even have the lost remains of the unmanned Eva's you and Asuka fought." This caused Shinji to shiver at the thought of a disembowelled Eva-02 . "They have talked about developing Evangelion and instigating lies to start wars. That's why NERV is as involved with the media as of late and why Japan has been the head at negotiations and clearing allegations that have nothing to do with us. You have seen it as well, the conferences Asuka has and the movies and soundtracks she has made to earn favour with the worldwide public. Our impact on the economy, our funding to global aid and poverty, health and medical advancements, political involvement, advertisement; these are all steps in building up our defence and fighting back against HIC." Misato said before inhaling a great amount of air.

So that was what it was. He always knew NERV as a secretive organization the world would never know and then it suddenly changed. NERV was booming and had expanded across the planet in many forms, even becoming the Japanese government and a place for the world leaders and the UN to meet and discuss. There were even NERV forms of entertainment, like stadiums, theatres, studios, shops, malls, games, books. People affiliated to NERV, such as researches, scientists, artists in music and art, authors, political figures, shop owners, sports stars, actors and the list went on. You saw many forms of entertainment built, funded, produced and directed by NERV. Banks and travel agencies along with global relations and trading made NERV now an essential part of the global economy. These HIC sons of bitches, whoever they were, had a very well routed and prepared enemy to face.

This still raised the question. "If you have all of this, why do you need Evangelion, surly the world will reject war against NERV, not only that, what the hell could they use to restart instrumentality? Adam, Lilith and all the Rei clones are gone, it makes no sense." Shinji started his objection.

"That's the problem, Shinji-san," Jack cut in, "We are using all our resources to find out who these people are, and more importantly, how they can start instrumentality again. We have some clues which relate to the MAGI, Evangelions, the black and white moons along with the AT fields. Most of which are located here and if they want it they are going to have to plan to use force to get it." He finished.

"Then what of the soldiers, more importantly, how the hell can I use my Eva if my mother is not even in it?" He said with a slightly raised voice.

"Soldiers will fight as long as their leaders tell them to, it's how wars last for as long as they do, as long they fight to put money in their pockets, food on their families table or even just to fight, it is enough to do as they are told and as for Eva-01..." Jack trailed off.

Shinji glanced over at Misato before Jack switched the glass to its transparent mode and back into less serious scenery. Shinji placed a hand on the desk and rubbed his face while exhaling while doing so. Life had always been complicated but at least the fight with the Angels had been straightforward.

"Evangelion-01 does have a soul...it-it reacted to me..." This caused Shinji to almost snap his neck as he whipped it up to look at her. "But-but it rejected me, it didn't want me to pilot it. I saw some things in there and I realized who the soul was." She said agitated and fidgety. Shinji narrowed his eyes for a moment.

"Who is in there, I don't know a person alive who would willingly want to be trapped in that thing. It must have been after Rebirth, a soul must have wanted in Evangelion very badly to be its soul." Shinji gave his little piece knowledge on the matter.

"Ritsuko told me the Evangelion resonates with the soul, like a symbiotic creature to use the power of thought and emotion it cannot use by its own will. The pilot is the host movement and control, like a trinity of sorts which does kind of suit NERV's background." Misato tried to add in jokingly. "Ritsuko could tell you a lot more but basically the Eva is the body, you are the mind and the soul is the soul." She said like she had accomplished something by sharing that knowledge.

"You have not answered my question, Misato." He replied, keeping the information she handed him in mind, he kept his eyes focused on her wavering ones before she looked and turned away from him.

There was a dead silence that seemed to go on for hours but was only as long as a minute.

"Ryoji Kaji." Shinji turned to look at Jack in confusion before looking back at Misato who seemed to draw in on herself a little. Shinji's eyes widened.

"It can't be..."

"But according to Misato and the emotional traits we managed to pick up, it can only be him." The familiar voice of Ritsuko Akagi said and he whirled to look behind him in bewilderment. She shook her head at him. "I think it would be the thing Kaji would do."

"A completely reckless, irresponsible, unthinkable and idiotic thing to do," Misato said with anger and some hurt as she sat up straight. "The idiot had the nerve to display my sex life to me while I was in there," She said earning a smirk from her friend.

Shinji was slightly lost at Misato's sudden change and remembered Kaji's words; _"The gulf that separates the islands of men and women is broader than any ocean"_. "Holy shit..." Shinji breathed, rubbing his face roughly before looking around at everyone. "I-I need some time to digest this before I can make a decision I'm comfortable with." Shinji said sitting on the floor, shattered after the long day.

Misato leaned over her desk to look at the back of his head. She patted his hair before easing back. "Sure, I wanted you to also see your friends and look around this place, just for memory sake, you've been missed Shinji. Jack has an apartment room setup for you inside NERV, you sleep there."

"Unfortunately for you, Shinji-san, you already have an arrangement with Miss Soryu-" He stopped at Shinji's hand making a cutting motion at his neck before it deflated into his lap as Misato began her poking and suggestive comments.

Some things never change.

I think, as the author, we'll end it ther- hey- what!

A man with a gun puts a gun to my head

Man: Keep writing, bitch

Aozora in a high voice: Oh Hideaki Anno! (The creator and director of NGE and my fan god), pleaseeee, I'll keep writing!

Man: you better, or else you are going to prison and your ass can take the punishment for not listening to Daetor and not making this longer!!

**Rahhel: The hell you're doing man?! Shoot him in the face!**

Shinji rolled in his bed turning onto his side knowing sleep was not an option at the moment. He yawned and rubbed his eyes before sitting up to look at the clock floating above his head thanks to projectors in each corner of the room. Tokyo-3's technology was pushing the limits every day. The room adjusted to the temperature he preferred, played the music he thought was too old to find, he could surf the web anywhere in the room, watch movies and widen the floating screen as much as possible and move into any angle or location he chose by dragging it along. He could spend all day in this room, exploring the gadgets and flaws of its design.

The clock read 05:50.

Shinji picked up his new experimental cell phone Jack had given him and dialled the bridge. After a few rings it picked up. "Hello, Maya, hey!" Shinji listened as she started to speak in an excited voice about nothing while he idly surf the internet, "mhmm, hey, Maya, does this room track what I do and what websites I go on, like if I went to Youporn or something...it doesn't, yeah, you don't say...really?" He continued to speak with her as he glanced around the room for cameras before checking some porn sites and accessing his email accounts. "Yeah, oh, Maya, can you give me Asuka's cell phone number...it's not like I'll give it out..." Seeing as Maya was nervous and unsure, Shinji decided to suggest but not be clear. "You know the relationship between me and Asuka, right? I'm not going to say anymore than that...2-6-5-what...Thanks, Ja ne, thanks for the conversation, it was really nice speaking to you, tell the others I said hi." Shinji finished before hanging up and calling Asuka's number he had entered while Maya spoke.

He waited for a long time before she picked up, "Hey Asuka, it's Shinji...who is this, Martin...where's Asuka, no-I...now hold on a minute...you don't even-...can you please pass m-" He stopped as the line went dead. He bit his lip; some asshole named Martin seemed to have some type of grudge against Shinji, and had felt it best to deal with his beef by shouting down the phone with false accusations about Shinji and Asuka's past relationship.

Shinji had learned many tricks from Rodriguez, getting what you wanted and how to do it being the main theme. Learning these tricks proved very effective in Rio Grande Do Sul and Shinji knew they were working here. Deciding to not run away and do some digging for himself, Shinji rang Maya back up. "Maya..., yeah, who the hell is Martin...Her _WHAT!" _Shinji roared and then his eyes widened, why had he shouted like that, he had never ever been so loud or aggressive in speech...apart from fighting the angels and to his father, otherwise he was a very calm person, something he took pride in. Realizing the silence on the other line Shinji began to apologise. "Sorry, Maya-san, that was much unexpected and quite a shock," He paused as Maya apologised for not giving him forewarning. "You have nothing to be sorry for, I'm kind of ashamed I actually shouted at you, anyway, I need you to track down Asuka, you have major Katsuragi permission...ask her yourself."

There was another pause. In truth, Shinji had made no such arrangements with Misato but he knew she loved to make a couple out of him and Asuka, Shinji knew she would be surprised but then would probably smile and give the go ahead.

That's exactly what happened and Maya quickly located her. "Thank you, Maya, one last thing, I need a car and Jack waiting in it ready to depart to that restaurant." He thanked her again, cancelled the call, put on a black NERV jacket, zipped it up, and then he was gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shinji bit his lip as he sat in the car with Jack driving. He never thought NERV would waste the money to buy a Lamborghini, but NERV was money these days so it was not surprising as Jack bullied his way into a lane before undertaking a truck and cutting up a lorry.

Shinji took his eyes away from the road to focus on what he was going to say. Shinji was a man, that all went to hell once Asuka came into the equation. God and his mother must have moved his mouth during their last confrontation because he wanted to crawl in a hole and die. He reminded himself to kiss Rodriguez' ass if he got back, the old man had drilled a lot into him and toughened up physically and most importantly, mentally. He pretty much decided that whatever went down with Asuka would be honesty and no rehearsed words; they would leave his head like the last time. As far Martin, who was apparently courting Asuka, Shinji could only imagine slamming his fist straight through his face.

He shook his head, his male dominance was showing, just like Toji, he needed to keep it cool, not to mention Shinji would never hit Martin unless he did some serious physical damage to Shinji first. It was not like he could not fight; Rodriguez had been very tough in making Shinji learn had to brawl, mostly by making up bullshit and then allowing Shinji to rumble. However, Shinji Ikari liked non violent solutions, aimed for them like a fisherman hunting a healthy, big salmon to feed his family. Rodriguez said he was born a fighter, something he was not proud of while Maria's mother had said he was a soft, noble and kind gentleman, which was something that made him beam.

Jack made a left while skidding before sticking a finger out the window at a truck blowing its horn. Another man shouted at them for their reckless driving and ignorance of the rules and safety of the road before they drove off.

Shinji was used to this driving, Misato being one person and Rodriguez pulling out his rifle just to get people to reverse back down heavily parked single road. "Alright, Jack, calm the driving down, satnav is telling me we are a minute away and I don't want us to look dumb in front of Asuka and...Martin." He advised as they slowed down and took a right at a junction before pulling up to a security booth. A man walked up and looked inside, his eyes landed on Jack to then look up at Shinji in absolute shock and awe, eyes wide with an open mouthed smile. He nodded and they drove on down the light blue concrete. "Why are there less people and why is the road different?"

"This is the higher class tier, a very expensive section where the best of the best live and work, you'll find world famous bars, restaurants, studios, theatres, shops, drama houses and nothing but detached houses and mansions. It allows stars to live without fans constantly asking for autographs or unable to walk around freely without somebody at their feet." Jack divulged as he made a right again while a few limos drove by. "To be famous here it to be real famous, Asuka is _the_ most famous person living here and fits in well with the top class aristocrats and snobbish people in the world." He said with vehemence in his tone.

He could understand where that was coming from and nodded. Jack pulled up in front of a statue in the shape of Asuka standing tall with one hand on her hip dressed in mythological clothes with words at the bottom he could not make out. Jack pointed at a very luxurious restaurant with many limos pulling up and sports cars stopping for one of the workers to take the keys to park the vehicle. He watched director Moby Corbit, director of the "Devil's Doll" and its upcoming sequel both of which Asuka starred as the main character in, walked into the building with his lovely wife.

Shinji swallowed, he was nervous, he looked down at his clothes and knew he was disgustingly underdressed. "Take me to the best suit store around here; I can't go in like this." He said gesturing to himself as his nerves were evident. Jack knowing it would be easier to get him some good gear, decided to follow Shinji's orders and get him something appropriate.

They were in King and Allen before Shinji knew it and he decided to go with the Prince Edward suit in premium fabric with a sharp white trim, pure crystal wrist cuffs, a white tie, and a sash made out of tiny white gems wrapped and draped around his waist. A new style Shinji had chose and one everyone who saw him liked. He went to get his hair sorted out by a famous stylist Andrew Collinge who took great pride in working his magic, making Shinji look neat and fresh but not making him look over advertised or out of profile.

Now expressively happy with his look and feeling secure in his black crocodile skin shoes, rare since they were not made any more due to the low number of crocodiles, he walked to the restaurant with a waiter outside. The man stopped him with respect and looked up at Jack with some uncertainty. "I'm just coming in to sit with Asuka Langley." Shinji said not wanting to discomfort the man. Shinji felt out of his skin as it was, no need to make it worse for others.

"Many people wish to see Miss Soryu but I cannot let you in unless you are a special guest, or, have a reservation." The man said with an apology and Shinji began to turn away with a shake of a head and a sigh, all the effort for nothing.

"His name is Shinji Ikari." Jack supplied for Shinji who turned back as the man shouted his name in astonishment ten times louder. The fact that the music inside the restaurant had stopped playing was a sign to Shinji that it would be in his best interest to run. His legs was in complete disagreement with his head and practically said "fuck you," as it moved to follow the waiter to Asuka's table. He noticed many people out of their seats ready to find out if he was really here. Shinji had been around many stuck up people with faces of indifference, scowls, disgust, or a smiling angry expression. The looks on their faces was something Shinji could only term with one word...

Priceless.

He walked in with a smile as the waiters ran around in a frenzy while his the waiter took the two to Asuka who was sitting in her NERV jacket, relaxed and with a very pissed off expression. _Ah, Shinji, you took the spotlight, bad baka-Shinji._ He scolded himself humorously before it all faded as his eyes narrowed at the blonde haired, blue eyed man sitting opposite Asuka. The man was dressed in a white suit and white tie and diamond stud in his ear. _Dick eater._ Shinji thought with malice.

Not once was Shinji surprised at his unjustified anger, Shinji had been jealous many times, but this was a lot more intense. The cocky bastard stood up with a smirk which held no warmth but was mocking, the man; Martin extended his hand and Shinji shook it while looking in Martin's eyes. He swallowed down the saliva he wanted to blast on this fuckers face. He backed up, blinked the un-Shinji like thoughts away. Was this jealousy over a woman?

Asuka could see what was going on and had a lazy smirk on her face as she sipped her wine. He almost told her she was underage before remembering the drinking age in Japan, at the moment, was 18. "Shinji, this is Martin Steinbeck," She shook her head as Shinji glanced at Jack Steinbeck, "Coincidental entirely, no relation." She said simply.

Shinji relaxed some as she did not speak so formally, perhaps the wine had relaxed her out, or, she did not have to _put it on_ when out of NERV. The man standing next him was about to speak before Shinji interrupted. "Asuka, can we go and talk, don't want to rush or anything, especially not going through all the trouble to get in here with the clothes and the hair." Shinji explained which caused Martin to chuckle.

"I was wondering why the clothing and hair was so bad," He smirked darkly causing Asuka to giggle. She looked up and decided to take Shinji out, the firm expression on his face was one she knew all too well and one best reserved for piloting Eva.

She stood up and grabbed Shinji by the hand and began for the door before stopping with a jerk. She looked behind her at the rooted Shinji who was focused at her hand, she tugged and he began to move before her eyes landed on the furious Martin, this in turn made her react by pulling her hand away from Shinji's as if she had been burnt. She looked around at the people watching in dead silence before she raised her chin and walked out, calling back to him while flicking her fingers for her car to be brought to her. "Hurry up..., Ikari." She said with malice, Shinji knew was fuelled by her embarrassment, he instantly began to move before Martin pushed in front of him to offer his arm to her which she took with some hesitation.

Shinji walked up after them with Jack in toe. "We're rooting for you, Shinji," An older, familiar, female voice called, Shinji turned his head to spot Hikari with long flowing hair; now a woman. She was sitting next to her ripped jock who gave the thumbs up with one hand while he tore into his steak like a beast with the other, to the displeasure of the other customers and the waiters.

Shinji nodded and half ran to catch up with Asuka as a red and green racing striped Novitec Rosso Ferrari F430 Scuderia, screeched into view. The driver got out and looked at the monster vehicle in surprise as Asuka moved to entered the vehicle with Martin taking the front seat before Asuka told him to sit in the back with Shinji; she wanted to talk to Jack about some things and wanted to talk with easy communication.

"Asuka, your alcohol content..." Shinji began, always there to be the voice of law and order.

"Fuck up, Shinji..." Asuka growled, "Get in the car and stop bitching," She finished before getting in , ending the argument before it started. Shinji sat in the car and belted up as Martin glared at him while he repeated what Shinji had done with his seatbelt. Jack got into the passenger's seat. Asuka put her foot all the way down, and she was already at 70 in 4 seconds and the engines triple exhaust roared like a demon out of hell as it burned through and down the road, blasting past the security checkpoint as she hit 125mph.

"Holy shit, Asuka!" Shinji cried out as he held firmly to the seat. He looked up at the rear view mirror to catch her eyes looking in the mirror directly back at him before they returned to the rode. She began to speak with Jack who was as calm as ice while the roaring air coupled with exhaust drowned them out. Shinji had expected to be out cold by the end of the five minute journey as they sped down the highway at 200miles per hour, not even looking outside while Asuka swerved and jerked the car this way and that. When they got to her big detached house, it was all Shinji could do not to spill his stomach contents all over the car seats. He got out of the car and fell onto the floor, breathing like a fish out of water as his mind raced and focused on calming down, over stressed and feeling very faint and dizzy.

Jack appeared with Martin; Jack then checked his pulse and his temperature while Asuka got an ice pack and placed it on Shinji's head. "For all that intense action and the title of "Angel Killer," you sure do have a weak stomach." Martin shot in, drinking some Champaign.

"Yeah, you two, carry him into the house." Asuka commanded and Jack immediately went to pick up Shinji from the shoulders.

"Why me, I'm not one of your slaves, Asuka." Martin said seriously and Asuka shrugged while picking Shinji up by the legs. Shinji looked on with pure embarrassment; it should be the other way round, him taking Asuka into the house bridal style.

They moved Shinji into the house, cool and fresh; the air rushing into the house from the pixel glass. They dropped him onto the slouch couch to cool off, Asuka fanning him with a fan of Eva-02 etched onto it. She sat on the arm and Shinji stared up into her beautiful face as she instructed Jack to the fridge and the water inside it before focusing on Martin who was bitching about the service at the restaurant.

He looked upon her soft pink lips with intensity, an intensity she picked up as she looked down at him. He kept his eyes on her lips unaware she was looking at him until those mouth watering lips smiled evilly. He looked up into her eyes and jerked up into a sitting position, her humours eyes were locked on to him, wide and confident before they turned to look over to Martin. "Martin, go back to your place, I'll be busy today." She instructed.

"Like _hell_ I will!" He exclaimed in rebellion to her orders, glancing at Shinji.

"If you want this relationship to take off; then I suggest you give me some fucking space to breathe, you've been on my case ever since you found out Shinji's arrival was announced...please." She asked softening her tone hoping he would do as she asked.

After a moment and a look into Shinji's defiant eyes, Martin turned with a sneer and left. They waited before the sound of a car driving off hit their ears causing both to sigh a relief. They looked at one another and smiled at the unified relief of Martin's vanished presence before Asuka's face changed to a frown. She moved off the arm of chair to stand in front a beautiful pot, one Shinji knew all too well. "You kept it?"

She said nothing but nodded all the same, moving to the window to the back yard to look at her twelve acre garden and the fruit trees and vegetables being tended to by house staff. A few horses went on small trots or around an average racing track. "To remind me that you're not a monster..." She began; Shinji lowered his head at that. "The hospital..., when I was in a coma and what you did..." She said rubbing her chest and breathing erratically.

"Asuka, calm down," He said, standing up and placing hand on her shoulder, she shrugged him away, retreated to the other side of the room. Shinji remained calm, took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm not sure what I was exactly thinking, whatever I was thinking or feeling had no real reason for me allowing for what I did, no matter what condition you were in. Actually, it was worse because of the condition you were in. I think, all my emotions for you came out as an act as disgusting as that...I had so much pressure and I desired you so much, when I saw you like that...I just did what I did, giving it to my hormones and only when I ended it did I start to think." He said chuckling at the ceiling in the pathetic sadness of it all.

Asuka was standing and looking at him with an evaluative eye. She swallowed and breathed in, closing her eyes to focus on nothing but her breathing. "Do you know what it's like to know that no matter what you do, the marks on your body will never come off? I think what you did may have ruined whatever relationship I could have with a man. Even if I did get that far, once they knew what happened to me..." She sighed, not really in sadness, more in frustration. "It's frustrating, I want to make you suffer but I feel as this is justice." The shocked jerk of Shinji's head made her continue. "I have done, and will continue to do, terrible things to you, nasty spiteful things even though you were trying so hard to put up with me. I don't really want to ramble about the past, I can't say I can forgive you, I can't say I can forget and move on." She told him with increasing confidence, feeling surer in her words and the truth in them.

Shinji felt a little better but not overly much, still, he could hope. "Are we still frien-"

"Before that, why did you try to kill me on the beach, and why did you stop?" She asked quickly cutting him off, not really sure of the answer to the question was about ask.

Shinji relaxed a little, he found this question incredibly easy to defend...tell the truth. "Something similar happened in the dream world, and it was messing with my head. So when I came back, and I thought was back for good after being given, and making, a choice. I was infuriated to find that you were there when I did not expect you to just appear next to me, so I tried to strangle the images away. It's only when you touched me did I realize you were real, then I...cried because I had hurt you again...oh my God!" Shinji suddenly shouted.

"What?" Asuka asked, wondering if there was more.

"I'm so stupid," He began to explain, shaking his head at the absurdity of it. "All this time, I've been rehearsing what to say, what to do and what to expect and you know the one thing I forgot, the most fundamental of making up?"

"You seemed to have covered everything, at least to me." She answered her face in perplexed expression.

"I forgot to say sorry!" he let out in a wan smile, "What's the point of an apology if you cannot even say a simple thing such as sorry." He finished, sitting down on a chair in disbelief of his own stupidity. All these years he had been preparing his mind for this confrontation and he had missed out the most vital part of it all. He looked up to Asuka's smile with her eyes closed while she shook her head. She stopped to look back up at him.

"Dummpkopf-Shinji,"

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXV

Suddenly performs CQC and owns the man in black and taking the gun from him.

Aozora: Sorry, my friend, but I draw the line here, I would love to write the whole story out but it's best to give chapters out in chunks and I love this fic so this got 16 pages and some 9000 words, which, to me, is fucking sweet. I planned for this to come out on July 1st (Edit, still might make it) but I had to cover a lot of my work and rewrite many segments I was beyond not happy with and change a lot until my beta readers gave it at least 9/10, in terms of story and ideas.

Shout outs!

**Zenosyke:** You had me shitting myself, I was like, "there was no fucking way 03 was eaten" I had to check to make sure and I instantly knew where the mistake came from. Eva-01 did eat an angel, it also disembowelled Badriel or unit-03, which was pretty fucked up to say the least. Zureul was the one that was on yui's menu. There was also some talk from Ritsuko about the cost and the amount of time it would take to rebuild unit-03, suggesting it was possible to do so. I'm actually pissed at the first chapter as I had a perfect one which was grammar and spelling problem free. I uploaded the wrong one, XD. I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope you enjoyed this one.

**Cshgeo:** You lagged and posted the same comment 3 times. Not that I'm complaining or anything, thanks for the encouraging words.

**Incognito girl:** Thanks, I think Zenosyke may have a sharper eye than you, thanks for the kind words and I hope you will enjoy this chapter.

**Daetor:** I took your advice and made the chapters around this length and will continue to do so, I also worked super hard on Asuka. I watched the whole Evangelion series, death and rebirth, end of Evangelion, rebuild of Evangelion, purchased some games online, I even went so far as to watch commentary's from the Japanese and English voice actors on how they felt with Asuka. I read a few fanfictions related to a future Asuka and looked at what did not work and what did work, noted it down, mixed and then sliced it up until I wrote a three page character model on what I should go for in Asuka and how she should treat things. It's going to be a bitch working on Toji, Kensuke and Hikari. I sort of don't understand what you meant by what people expect from an S/A fanfic(Unless you're talking mature content).

**Miguelagel:** Word!

**0FoX0:** Trust me dude, I'm going very serious on technology, warfare and weaponry as Asuka has already mentioned I.W project which will be focusing on new weaponry. I will be trying to explain the new weapons and make them as believable and real as possible. There is a lot more history to be covered from the other characters such as the trials they went through during the five years; I've given you a little surface on how hard many had it after rebirth. Hope you will enjoy this one, more on what to expect at the bottom.

**zerouzumaki34:** I had to attempt spelling your name 3 times, graahg! Holy shit! I was not expecting that, best prologue in your life!? I'm honoured and I really hope my chapters are sufficient, I'm not sure how many chapters this will take as my plan says a shit load depending if I cover all I need to in this chapter but everything is backed up and my beta readers are my support, and the support you guys are showing is superb.

End shout outs

So what can you guys expect from next chapter and how did I feel about this one?

Not as great as the first as my mind is already focused on some other chapters in this story and the fun I'm going to have. I didn't have as much fun in this one as the last as I felt I was not as immersed in this one. Toji needs some work and God knows how I'm going to do Kensuke though I have an idea I need to shove towards my beta readers. By the way, Martin and Shinji don't like each other because they both want something the other wants. That means it's just too early to judge Martin yet, but I think this was a good way to introduce him.

I was considering changing the Eva's soul but went against it as I needed a real good reason for someone to be the Evangelion soul and then if the Eva would conform to that character. I had to do a lot of digging around and at one point I wanted Gendo as the Eva-01's soul but then said fuck it as he would have stayed with Yui. If you think about it, Kaji is ideal and he may have his own goals, he may have been forced into Eva, or he may have wanted to do this for some elaborate plot...who knows. Evil laugh.

**What to expect:** More Toji Shinji interaction, Kensuke, the other Eva pilot and the Evangelion, Evangelion upgrades and an explanation of these changes. Misato's sub commander makes an appearance and we get to see a little bit of H. I. C. Finally Shinji makes a choice and don't think it will be the obvious...

Anyway, till next time aaaaaaaand...

Give thanks to **Rahhel** and Yu for beta reading my stuff and sorting it out, especially **Rahhel**.

Aozora: not especially Rahhel, the bastard!

Doing some polls on this fic and what should be in it, please suggest what you want in this fic and I'll slam it in the poll, see what happens and if we get more accepted then declined then it's going in. You can check out the polls on the front page of my bio.

Love all the readers out there for reading and all you who review.

I really hope you enjoyed readying.

Next chapter comes out on the 12th!


	3. Always a third choice

**Always a Third Choice**

Asuka sat on top of a mat in skin tight shorts and halter top. Her legs spread wide apart as she leaned her head down to each knee, stretching and using her flexibility. She did this per the instructor's orders as her and the advanced class of 20 other women continued their aerobics exercises in preparation for aerobics gymnastics.

Asuka had took up these classes a few years ago not too long after she was let off investigation. At first Asuka had never been into her overall flexibility and the workings of her muscles. Hikari had gave her basic lessons which Asuka had loved, harnessing the exercise for physical and mental fitness to see through any day with less problems and easier fortitude. Hikari had taken Asuka to special aerobics class and within months Asuka had moved to higher level and was in advanced stages.

It was something she thought she would never have time for, an added pressure that would complicate her life. True, it did do that sometimes but on average it worked out in release and control. It sharpened her focus and cleared her mind which had made go up in her synchronisation in leaps and bounds. Asuka literally kissed Hikari's feet for forcing her to take lessons, it was one the best things that had happened to her.

Asuka finished her set of high impact aerobics in time with the class just as the instructor finished up. She let out a breath and calmed down her breathing, taking measured intakes of air before picking up her water bottle and towel. Sweat trickled down her body as she damped off her face, undoing the bobble holding her hair up in a pony tail as she made her way to the showers.

Within minutes she was stripped down and in the ladies shower room, the water pouring over her body to a cooling temperature. She let the refreshing liquid cover her skin and cool her mind, her thoughts going over her schedule.

She was to meet the engineering staff and Ritsuko about the IW project, then status of Evangelion on the upgrades to Eva-02 and the completion of the de-fossilization of 01, synchronization tests, getting that little bastard Loroko to up his synchronization with unit-01.

She leaned against the wall as she pulled off some shower gel to start the routine process of washing her body of dirt. In five days it would be her 2nd year as a captain. The job was one of her knew goals to obtain in life. She was an Eva pilot and always would be, however, the Eva's were currently unneeded and that left her with a rather dull life. She had learned a few instruments and even took up to acting before Hikari had joked about Asuka becoming captain, something Asuka had taken seriously.

Asuka had gone to Misato to ask about what the job of captain demanded, which had caused Misato to laugh. There was a lot to cover but Asuka had passed University and had some advanced military training and highly advanced combat training, assets that would help with her evaluation. Asuka had the mental ability and organization and Misato recommended some books to read in preparation for her 18th birthday. It was a stressing period and she had to fight through a lot of work and tests before getting the approval for a 1 month trial period, a privilege others, vying for the position, would not get.

Asuka Langley Soryu had realized just how demanding being a captain was. She had to be on top with military and political news, constantly in the know so as to what to expect. She had to deal with complaints neutrally which helped refine and control her temperamental personality. She had to face off against press and cold accusations to her person and her organization. Create the best contacts and friends in the political world and the celebrity icons.

She had increased her influence once the H.I.C had become known along with their intentions and methods. She had worked with many people, organized many events, spread aid across the planet and dance the media to NERV's tune.

Her first film had been number one for a month in the film charts and had won several Oscars for her magnificent performance as Lia and was currently working on the sequel to the film along with a few live gigs and appearing as a guest on the MTV music awards in a few months.

She rinsed the soap off her body as it flowed down her smooth, round, backside, between long, strong, feminine legs to perfected feet. She sighed in disappointment, not too happy that Shinji had stared at her less than expected, she had planned to show off to him today but she had a synchronisation to do with Evangelion 02 and Martin would just get bent out of shape if she did.

She wondered where her mother was and what she was doing, she had not returned to Eva and had left someone else in her place. It was very disappointing and disheartening when she found out her mother was no longer the soul inhabiting her Evangelion 02. She and Ritsuko had yet to figure out who the soul was and the Magi was always making references with people for any connections.

It was hard to synchronise with the Evangelion at first, it, or she, must have adapted at some point so she could make it move and operate. She held her synchronisation level at 76.223, a very good number and one she was always slowly advancing. Ritsuko Akagi had compared it to your average relationship; the more you saw of one another, the more you connected with them. She had found her synch rate went up a bit more when she talked to it and some preparation before going in.

She placed shampoo in her hair and scrubbed away slowly, knowing her hair was very hard to dirty and made it very easy to clean yet a monster to contain back into shape after a goodnights sleep.

She turned her eyes to the mirror in the shower, feeling the architect made a bold move putting one into each showering cubicle. She was very, very proud of her breasts; they had developed into big, perky, mouth watering twins. She had to work hard on the perkiness by paying a lot of attention to the muscles in her chest. The reaction was the best, men would turn their whole bodies to look at her with some women included. It did get annoying, men spoke to her chest instead of her face, Shinji and Martin were included in that list which was already reach from Tokyo to Greenland.

She stepped out of the shower and it switched off automatically while she wrapped a towel around herself and proceeded to the changing room, making sure to take the bounce out of her steps. She did not want people thinking she was an overconfident, stuck up, self-assured bitch _which I am_.

She was drying off when her cell phone rang, she took out a small Blue tooth headset and she answered. "what...I'm busy all day at work today...I may see him today...he's been here for less than 36 hours, it's not like he'll...you know what, I don't have to take this, consider your courting suspended, I can't deal with you on my case when I've done nothing wrong." She hung up the phone on Martin and continued to dry off with more intensity before quickly dressing and putting her belongings in her bag, exiting with an air that parted the women around her.

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"By the way, who won the election in Barbados?" Makoto Hyuga asked

"Kira Zindy, anyway, I was fucking this girl in the ass-" Shigeru Aoba continued before being interrupted.

"Aoba-san, please keep such talk for private areas." Maya squeaked with a blush as she looked over the IW or Illumi Weaponry integration of unit 02. Unit 02 had gone through some changes during the past 5 years after its repair. It sported a white spine column, two small horns on its head, two blades like claws on the feet/boots of the Eva and a long, blue blade; the length going up the forearm of the Evangelion and a few meters extra. The Eva's internal changes were immense, there was a new gel system that hardened when exposed to blood or oxygen, this would stop blood flow from wounds and damage as the liquid in solid form was as hard as bedrock. The feedback system had some more automated features to disconnect parts of the body synchronization to stop pilots from feeling or even having the same damage done to their own bodies. Advanced AI's and support systems to help maintain any problems NERV may not be able to do themselves. The experience of Evangelion's unresponsiveness during critical times was too high and frequent, deciding to put control units inside the plug had to be one of their steps in maintaining control.

The new upgrades to the Evangleion's was the production of increased Cytoplasm, with electrical sequences to initiate arcoplasmic hypertrophy, which would increase muscular strength in the Evangelion without making the Eva's bulky or lose their manoeuvrability. This meant the pilots had to make the Eva go through exercises particularly in skeletal muscle hypertrophy, to slightly increase the size of the muscles as well as increase skeletal integrity and resistance. Unfortunately, this is mainly based on the testosterone inside the male's body which the Evangelion's body tries to replicate, meaning that the female pilots would have a tougher time increasing the Evangelion's muscular power, fitness, health and overall progression. Ritsuko Akagi had made some progress in balancing this out by putting sequences in the mental connection with the Eva to increase bodily output and progression.

To top it off, unit 02 was the second Evangelion to have an Super solenoid in its core and the first to be fitted with it through conventional means. The super solenoid had been taking from the remains of two inactive MP Evangelions, intact and functional. The problem was finding out how to activate it which was finally resolved by the cores acceptance of the Super solenoid engine. The exact processes is still unclear. Ritsuko Akagi had theorised the Evangelion, itself, had to crack the S2 organ and adapt it to the Eva. The Evangelion held many secrets and all Ritsuko could do was theorise in hopes on hitting the nail or close to it.

Ritsuko looked at the synchronisation level of Asuka while Maya checked over the status on Evangelion 03; the muscle tissue had been acting up as the new bio-elastic muscles were proving a pain to maintain. The Evangelion's ability to stretch its arms was just one of its abilities, another was its heat radiation and new feedback disperser. The unit had no IW ready for its use as the pilot, Toji Suzuhara, had no specific weapon he was able to function with properly with his Evangelion.

She typed away quickly on her keyboard as the right arm armour on Evangelion 03 was stripped to reveal white artificial muscles along with giant sized red, oxygenated ones. "How does it look?" Ritsuko asked from her station as Asuka's synch ratio increased a little.

Maya looked at her teacher before looking back with a frown at her screen and the reports from the science, biological manufacture, and engineers crew. "The same problems, the electric nodes are getting blocked by the rubber like material in the artificial muscles." she moaned with a huff, "despite the pathways we created, we can't control the form of electricity, just the route, the little electrical jolts to nerves are either too weak after being weakened by the rubber or not strong enough to make a proper reaction at all." Maya explained, mostly to herself as Makoto looked over her shoulder at the reports.

"How about stronger electrical pulses?" He added knowing that the option had probably already been exhausted.

"Yes, I've already started that," she turned to Maya as Makoto seemed surprised at his correct suggestion. "Maya, signal to the crews to make a switching mechanism. Make it so when the pilot switches muscle types that the electrical pulses increase by 45 when using the artificial muscles. I think it's time you step out of my shadow and take charge of this little project." She ordered turning back to call Asuka out of the Evangelion, noting down a little more on the synch test and finishing her report.

Maya looked at her senpai with a wide eyed expression. She had never been given such a level of responsibility. Or rather, this type of responsibility. It was not like she was unprepared for it, in fact, she had been itching for a chance to do more in NERV's expanding organization. It seemed Ritsuko saw this and decided to start to cut Maya lose and out of her shell, she recognised Maya's potential and her need to show it.

Aoba patted her shoulder as he pointed to the screen. "The 7th child is here, over-confident son of bitch, too bad his secondary Evangelion is still in Germany under construction. Did you hear Asuka put him in his place?" He asked her while watching the raven haired boy walk to a scanner.

"I think the whole of the Geo-front heard it. I guess Asuka was best in dealing with him, he's just like her when she was his age. Though, he kind of has traits of the previous commander, neh?" she asked with a soft smile at the small boy trying to be bigger than he was. "What do you think Loroko-san's reaction will be to Shinji-san?"

Makoto chimed in. "Chances are he won't like Shinji, at least not until he sees Shinji in action." He said with an experience the others did not have. They knew it was probably true, Loroko was a boy of high expectations and goals. Anyone who did not conform or believe in these standards or goals were bellow his notice. "But saying that, I think he'll learn a lot from Shinji. I mean, Loroko is compatible with Evangelion 01 and may not even need the Evangelion being constructed in Germany. That is, if Shinji declines the job. Either way, Shinji is a nice boy at heart and you ca't help but to like him and try to understand him. From the little I spoke with him this morning, it seems like he'll be a real good example."

The others hummed or nodded in agreement. "Oh, is Shinji here?" The voice of Asuka Langley Soryu said, a pink liquid dripping off her plug suit as a towel was placed on her shoulders. The plug suit fitted her snugly and showed off every curve, muscle and those wondrous features. "Close your mouths, boys," She said in a sigh. The men looked away while Makoto reported in while fixing his glasses in place.

"Seems you've jumped from 76 all the way up to 81.552, excellent results, Asuka, what's your secret?" He asked jokingly as he jotted down a few notes as Ritsuko added some of her notes on the test.

"Well, you know-" She began

"It's called Shinji-love," a teasing voice said and Asuka looked up with a frown at the door to spot Misato standing next to Loroko, a smile on her vixen face. "Can I try some?" she giggled.

"Oh shut up, as for you, Muritaka, school finished 30 minutes ago, explain." She demanded into defiant brown eyes. Loroko was tall for his age but only reached up to Asuka's chin, his hair style was long and untamed, a jumbled mess of raven locks that had a curl that tried to make its self present.

"Now, now, Asuka, I had to keep him to tell him about Shinji being here, I'm sure we can reschedule another time for a synch test when Evangelion 01 is prioritised for him." She said waving Asuka down.

"Get suited up and prepare for some simulation target practice. As for prioritising, why has it not been done yet?" She asked looking around the room at the sheepish faces. Evangelion 01 should have been prioritised for Loroko who was the only one who could get at least a decent synchronisation rate apart from, Shinji had not even stepped into the unit to see if he was still compatible. Once the systems prioritised him to Eva then it would be a matter of building up familiarity and and mental fortitude. "Well?"

"Because Shinji may be coming back, it would be a waste of time to change it to Loroko-kun when we would have to change it back to Shinji." Ritsuko told her simply as she focused on her monitor, sipping her cold coffee now used to its temperature.

Asuka stared at Ritsuko's back as creative curses flowed through her head. A question from Loroko brought her back to reality. "What's Shinji-san like?" He asked looking at each person in the room in expectation for an answer. The silence that filled the room was confusing to Loroko and the others. It was not like they were betraying Shinji if they told him, but saying that, they did not know Shinji. He had changed, they had seen him and spoke to him for a bit this morning but apart from Asuka and Misato, no one really had a clue on how to describe him.

"Doesn't matter, chances are he is not staying here for long, let alone be an Evangelion pilot." Asuka said with slight venom to her voice. Loroko raised an eyebrow as Misato chuckled at her, turning around to leave.

"Commander, don't forget to pick up those reports and updates on your way out." Ritsuko reminded her not even budging from her position at the monitor. Misato turned around and sent a smile covered in sweetness but with a core of loathing as she picked up the stack of papers. "Yo-" she started as she lifted the heavy stack from their place and finally into her arms, "-sha!"

Asuka shook her head as her commander struggled out the door. She snapped her fingers and Makoto moved in to help. She glared at Loroko and pointed to the door, telling him to get dressed to his plug suit.

"Bitch" he whispered

"I heard that you little brat, for that you get an extra 45 minutes, now move!" She almost roared like a banshee out of hell. Loroko almost ran out of the room with a exasperated expression.

Asuka huffed before she cached the eyes of Aoba and Maya staring at her. "What?"

"Not very professional, is it, Cap-tain" Aoba pronounced her status to hit the point with Maya nodding. Asuka growled and made her way towards the door.

"Oh fuck off," were her words as she left. Aoba looked at Maya he also returned the stare before they both looked at the door in puzzlement. They wondered what had got in Asuka's plug suit to make her so pissy.

"Must be that time of the month," Aoba supplied with a smirk before it faded as Maya gave him a disapproving look. "What?"

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A black and blue flamed Land rover sport took a left down a rural road playing loud J-rock music as laughs could be heard inside the vehicle. The sun was high in the sky with a minuet number of clouds floating around looking fairly white indicating little rain for now. The air was fresh and cool making the country side of Kyoto that much more splendid.

Toji Suzuhara laughed as Shinji continued his recount of Rodriguez "...and then he stood up with his rifle and placed it to the car's tyre before blowing it off. The woman's face as we drove on was like;" Shinji made a wide eyed and opened mouthed face with his left eye twitching. Toji started to laugh harder and almost lost control of the land rover as he slowed down.

They were approaching Kensuke's house located not far from a forest and at the bottom of a mountain. The clouds at the peak of the mountain were casting a shadow over the forest making it seem ominous as the sun tried to push some sunlight through. "Is this his place?" Shinji asked as his eyes roamed over the house as they took a right, down the road and directly to the the house.

"Sure is, he's a photographer, you know? Kinda weird, he used to be so into tech and computers but these days..." Toji said shaking his head with a genuine smile. "These days he's living the peaceful life with his wife, she's pregnant by the way." Toji added.

"Kensuke, wife, pregnant? Wow.." Shinji said in amazement, remembering Kensuke as the nerdy guy with glasses and too much information on NERV that was not healthy. Shinji had expected Kensuke to move to being a NERV technician or be even one of the bridge crew. He had coveted Shinji's status as a pilot and loved anything to do with war, begging Misato or overriding Shinji's advice on the dangers and pain of piloting Evangelion. He never thought Kensuke would be living a nice quiet life in Kyoto away from the bustling city in the non-technological side of Japan.

He could recognise Kensuke's skill with a camera as he had a number of top of the line ones back in their school years. Kensuke was no girl magnet at the time but saying that; neither was he or any other guy in the class. Growth and maturity were a marvellous thing and did wonders to one's self esteem. He could only guess Kensuke could have gone through a similar change as well as they approached the drive way with a Mercedes already parked up.

Toji parked up the land rover and got out as Shinji was out standing in front of the nice house. Its simplicity spoke of a life that Shinji could only dream of, his eyes roving around the home as if looking at the stars, searching for something before walking to the door with Toji ahead.

Toji faced Shinji and nodded to him, nothing was said, nothing needed to be.

Toji's fist hit the door three times and Shinji shook his head at his friend's boisterous methods. The jock shrugged before the door opened, presenting a man of average build wearing a white shirt and black pants, hair wet from a shower. The freckles were faint to non-existent but Shinji could tell his friend from a mile off. Kensuke's eyes widened and this must have been the first time Shinji had properly seen Kensuke without glasses. He could better understand how Kensuke had scored and bagged a woman successfully as his face held the type of a male with a sophisticated character about him. His hair was pulled back with the blonde colour faint and easily mistaken for brown, it would have been lost to Shinji if he had not known Kensuke before hand.

Kensuke's face turned into a smile and he stepped to the side, ushering them into his house. The ma patted Shinji's shoulder as he passed through, "It's good to see you again, Shinji." He said with a much deeper and slightly raspy voice then what Shinji could remember. Shinji looked around the very well furnished house, neat, tidy, clean, immaculate, many words Shinji could use to describe it but not enough to describe its feel. This had a woman's touch which was most obvious through the kitchen and garden.

Shinji walked into the main room noting the pictures across the walls and framed on desks or tables. They varied on location as some were of forests, cities, animals, people, objects, fruit, ponds, rivers, the list went on and his eyes stayed a bit longer on a picture of Misato winking at him.

"Take a seat, you guys want any drinks, juice, coke, coffee?" Kensuke asked like a good host which Shinji paid close attention to. Kensuke used to be a straight to the point, in your face kind of guy who had no time for food, drinks or any of the pleasantries being offered to them right now.

"Don't you have any Pepsi?" Toji asked annoyed.

Kensuke shook his head. "Don't like Pepsi, only coke."

Shinji looked confused at the two, not really sure what the fuss was about. "What's the difference?" He asked causing both to turn their eyes towards him in open astonishment. Feeling a bit under pressure, Shinji escaped. "I'll have a coke," He said effectively ending his unwanted attention as Toji relaxed in the chair and Kensuke left to get the drinks with a chuckle.

Shinji sat with a weighted breath, the difference had never been apparent to him, he preferred coke because it was red and striking, tasted slightly sweeter but that was it. He could kind of understand why Toji liked Pepsi as he supposed sports celebrities drink the stuff as well.

"I sort of can't believe you can't taste the difference." Toji voiced, head cocked and focused on the ceiling above as Kensuke returned and placed the drinks on a small glass table in between their seats.

Kensuke shuffled towards his own chair and sat down, pushing a button to begin the vibrations on his back. "Mmmm, this is the power of technology." He said with eyes closed before opening them, reaching for a draw on his left and pulling out a pair of quicksilver QO2068 glasses and placing them on his nose with a smile. "Now then, Shinji," He started, again being full of new surprises, it felt like Kensuke was going to counsel him or something close to it. "I've heard a lot from Toji and Misato about how things have been for you, and I'm sure my...reintroduction? To your life has been most...different from my previous self." He began and stopping at Shinji's gaping expression.

_Who the hell is this?_ Shinji asked himself as the man before him smiled, shoulders un-tense and posture relaxed. He looked to Toji who was frowning at his coke. In comparison Toji had changed, a little bit but was still the big jock with a brain comparable to a small rock, the muscle of the three stooges. Kensuke had changed radically, new clothes, style, the way he held himself, his speech and mannerisms, all of it something Shinji was unprepared for, a Kensuke he could not have imagined so many years ago.

He voiced his thoughts to Kensuke who laughed lightly at that and scratched his face in thought. "I guess, love can change us. Most of the time, myself included, we change for the interest in the one we love, Reiko, my wife, was the one that made me change. I wanted to fit her standards, she was a high class woman with high morales and required an intellectual man. I was smart with computers but not really outside of it. I guess it just forced me to grow up that much faster and in a way no one would really expect." He elaborated with some thought.

"What about your dream of working for NERV?" Shinji asked, remembering his friend for his pestering and the constant talk about NERV and Eva.

He inhaled strongly as he thought on his answer, "I did work for NERV at one point, I developed the key components to the IW project and advanced unit-03's deformation of relative elongation..."

Shinji blinked blankly as Toji leaned in. "He means stretching," Shinji smiled at that, impressed at Kensuke as he waited to hear more. At least Kensuke had worked in NERV, let alone making projects and helping with the Eva's development and upgrades, or so he could guess.

"However, Reiko wanted us to settle down properly and I gave NERV up, with many arguments and heavy deliberation and persuasion from both sides, in order to do as she wanted. It was kind of quick, we were only 18 but she was worried something may happen and we might not have the chance to enjoy peace. I never told her about H.I.C but she could figure something was up with NERV and the continued service of Eva after we had announced a while before that the Eva series would be halted. Don't get me wrong, I love NERV and Tokyo-3, however, I love Reiko, and my daughter growing inside, more than either. At the same time I'm still helping NERV with little things, investigations in the form of travelling to enjoy taking pictures and helping them solve things they need help with...it was my third choice in the situation given to me." Kensuke answered truthful and with some kind of pride Shinji could not quite grasp.

"Third choice?" Shinji asked not understanding.

Kensuke nodded, "There is always the third choice. The third choice is different from the first and second. The first and second are given to you, you have no choice but to between those two choices and none of them have full enjoyment without taking away something else. The third choice is different in that you make another choice which works in accordance with the first and second choice, appealing to both enough by being effective to them. Most people call it negotiating a situation." He finished as he sipped his coke.

Shinji placed his chin in his hand, thinking deeply about that. Was there a third choice for him? From what he could tell Evangelion 01 had a new pilot who could do well without him, even if the other Evangelion coming from oversees did become useless it would still mean they had more than one Eva and a backup in case Evangelion 01 decided to play the "fuck you" card and not function. If he did not pilot Eva they would not need him, but saying that, he wanted to help NERV, he wanted to make sure something like the impacts never happened, never again. Even if he did little he would feel right about doing something. He could not return to Rio Grande Do Sol, this was his home and the best place to be effective without needing the cursed Evangelion.

Shinji's mind started to tick around the thoughts as he began to formulate some kind of third choice to present to Misato but there was a hiccup. "What else, but pilot, could I do for NERV to help them?"

Toji's eyes snapped open and he looked to Shinji in surprise before looking back at Kensuke who nodded and smiled.

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"So..." Misato began as she watched a holographic screen saver floating in front of of two helicopters going at it. She had got Ritsuko to make it after watching her cat screen saver walk around Ritsuko, purring and the like.

"Who knows, that's what I wanted to say, who knows, who really knows..." Sub commander Geryu Kurokari said. He had held the position of commander of NERV for a while until stepping down to allow Misato Katsuragi, who he thought worthy and rightful owner of the position, to fulfil the role.

He was not exactly old, in his mid 40s with jet black hair, cut short and put into several braids to dangle around his head. He wore a white Jacket, pants and a few pins and stripes on his chest a sign of his service to the military.

"Anyway, you said you were going to Doctor Akagi-san's place to get drunk..." He sighed at Misato's cheer. "Honestly, commander, knowing you; we'll find you in a bin on a flight to Australia." He said with a playful chuckle.

Misato punched his arm, "Hey, I'll have you know even when not sober I have a great sense of understanding on my surroundings and situations, thank you very much." She said in a boastful tone, puffing out her chest in defiance.

"So how did you wake up in a strip club in China?" He asked with a wicked smile as she deflated into her seat while cursing him as she did so.

Their heads snapped up as the door opened presenting Shinji, Toji and Kensuke. Misato and Kurokari looked at one another before turning back to regard the three stooges. Misato felt good, seeing the three of them back in formation, Kensuke on the left of Shinji and Toji on the right, it was as if their bodies remembered the routine even after so many years of separation.

"Misato," Shinji began and Misato immediately pushed her seat to her desk to place her arms on it, gaze focused and analysing her screen saver disappearing. "I've come to give you my decision." He told her vehemently, adamant on whatever he was about to say. She looked at the two at his sides, Toji seemed casual with his hands in his pockets and with a slightly bored expression, whilst Kensuke's eyes could not be read due to the reflective glare of his glasses.

Misato inhaled, closed her eyes, let it out, then opened them again before nodding, ready for his answer. Shinji himself was quickly going over it, was he ready to give up Rio Grande Do Sul, even if he wrote and visited he would never truly be able to go back, like he promised to Maria. Was it worth breaking a promise for a cause to save the world. Kensuke and said his wife meant more than NERV and Tokyo-3...could he say the same about Rio Grande Do Sul? He shook his head, justifying it as for their protection, what he could do could really help in saving humanity. He had learned a lot since five years ago and the impact one person could have.

"I don't want to pilot Eva," He began watching as the man standing next to Misato made no physical change as neither did Misato. "You and I both know the damage that bastard thing causes, all the pain and suffering it brings, like an infectious curse that spreads. I couldn't pilot it and truly justify it to myself, not without lying and making half assed excuses like _I was told to_" He said looking at the floor. "That was acceptable before, I was a child, a minor in the world being told by the adults, the people who knew best, what to do." He said with some resentment and Misato _did_ shuffle at that. ""It was _easy_ to do as I was told, it was e_asy t_o use that as my shield from responsibility. I'm not a child any more, I can't think that being told what to do will cut it, I need to get past all that, I don't want to run away from my problems by staying in Rio Grande Do Sul, I want to help." His voice grew with confidence as his eyes focused on Misato.

"I've come to realise that even the most simplest of things can be the difference between life and death, the help and support people provided me when I was piloting...I want to do the same for the new pilot." He said as Misato and Kurokari looked at one another, minds churning and thinking on his request. "I know the Evangelion better than anyone, so, I guess I want to be on the team, as an advisor, I heard he was stubborn and I work well with hot heads." He chuckled with Toji while Kensuke nodded in agreement. "Please, Misato, I know this is not what you expected, and I know you may not agree, but at least give me a chance, that's all I ask." He said resolutely.

Misato swallowed, so that was it, He did not want to be the pilot, however, he wanted to help Loroko become a better one. She chewed her lip as she turned her seat to look out the window, her mind delving into possible arrangements and reactions. She sighed before turning to look at Shinji, "You don't ask for much but when you do..."She smiled at him as she rubbed her hand on her desk, going over her thoughts. "I can arrange something," She began, looking into Shinji's eyes. "However, don't expect Asuka to react kindly to this...or perhaps this may work," A fox like smile graced her face and Shinji withheld a groan that wanted to come out. "Anyway, I like how you approached this and how you spoke. You have truly grown up Shinji, and as an adult to adult, you have my respect." She said standing and holding out a hand.

Shinji looked at his friends who both nudged him forward at the same time. Shinji stumbled but righted himself to stand in front of Misato, he shook her hand firmly, surprised at her strength, the two smiled at one another, Shinji in gratitude and Misato in pride.

His eyes turned to the deep brown pools of Geryu Kurokari who held out his hand as well. The two shook hands like equals but as Shinji pulled away Kurokari held on with a firm grip. Shinji's eyes travelled up to the stern face, their eyes searching each others before they let go and stepped away. Nothing was said but a lot had been meant. Shinji had to keep his ass in line if he was going to take this job seriously. "You won't regret this Misato, thank you." He bowed before turning to leave.

Misato did a small wave to the three as they left, both Kensuke and Toji patting Shinji's back in comradeship. It was amazing how they just seemed to...she shook her head at the recurring thoughts, she needed to get smashed, take a load off as things were only going to get more hectic as time passed.

Kurokari leaned down towards her ear. "Asuka is not going to be happy." He told her causing Misato to start to giggle in almost hysterics.

"No she _won't_" She replied through her giggles before breaking out into an evil laughing fit that sent a chill down Kurokari, remembering how Misato had set him up with a woman who was now his wife.

"God have mercy on you, Ikari, Soryu," He mumbled

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**The Door Opens**

"So, is everything proceeding as planned?"

"NERV is quite troublesome with its network spreading across all features around the globe."

"Ikari Shinji has been recovered, much to our annoyance, I was hoping we could make him join us, such a shame."

"I fucking told you we should have killed the little jap prick when we had the chance."

"Hey! I told shut the fuck up about the racism, I'll kill you next time."

"That's right Sanders, keep your mouth shut"

"The fuck, no name calling."

"Enoguh!"

...

"How long until we can make a military move on Israel?"

"It's taking awhile to set up false media but NERV's influence there is weak, we can use NERV's own cards against them."

"Indeed, and the anti Evangelion system."

"From what I discovered during my cleaning of the labs, it should be around a month before Covenant unit 01 or CV-01 is complete."

"In the mean time we can rely on the three MP Evangelion we have stored in Africa."

"What about our spy in NERV?"

"Me? It's getting harder and harder to get in, that bitch, Asuka is up my ass, can't have five minutes to crack into NERV restricted files, not too mention the Magi are being installed with new countermeasures, I'm going to need new codes and safety lock transmissions."

"We'll have to leach off the Australian branch's Magi, though it takes a while to update and even longer to safely get the codes, so until further notice, keep up the guise."

"Evangelion unit 14 is being held up thanks to a few problems we managed to complete in the systems and power outages during tests."

"Which is a waste of time, they'll make the pilot use 01, I doubt Ikari will pilot it."

"Let's hope he returns to Brazil, we can take him and use him to our ends"

"Fuck no, kill him as soon as he comes back, too much of a chance he'll change his mind."

"Agreed,"

"Agreed,"

"Agreed,"

"Agreed,"

"Agreed,"

"Agreed,"

"Agreed,"

"Agreed,"

"Agreed,"

"Agreed,"

"Alright, meet back in two weeks, continue your assignments and for the love of God, lay low, I saw you on TV the other day, you could have blown us."

"Yeah, well, how was I suppose to know the bitch would pull me on as well for fuck sake..."

**The Door Closes**

XVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXV

Took me awhile to get this out but I still reached the deadline and reached the page amount I wanted. Not much to say about this one, hope you guys enjoyed it. You might wantto prepare for the next one...that is loooong and I've already started it XD.

This chapter was shorter than I wanted but I wanted a nice set-up for the next chapter and this went along very well considering I had to rewrite this twice, :(

No one beta read this time, sorry for any mistakes I may have missed.

**SHOUT OUTS**

**Deator:** Your review really touched me and made me re-think how I should portray Kensuke and Shinji's choice. I actually wanted more Kensuke and Shinji but then I wanted to go out of the whole Kensuke super nerd. Like Shinji constantly states in his thoughts, peoles support can be a life changing and saving thing. Kensuke was a supportive character in the Eva series and so was the rest of the cast, I wanted Kensuke to be more involved then in the previous one,

One of the main things, that I think authors do on accident with EoE continuations, is the children, I guess you never consider how they would act and you always put them down the obvious path. I'm not sure if you can relate to this, but when I was growing up, I wanted t be a doctor, as soon as high school finished I had no idea what I wanted to be or where I wanted to go, what I liked and what I was limited to had a big affect on that. Basically life is unpredictable and so I did some unpredictable things. I wanted to go outside the Eva fanfiction sphere of predictability.

I knew it would be a gamble but I also realised that life is tragic in terms on its injustice, hence the title of this fanfiction. This is why I bounced around the idea of a third choice and how everyone would react to it.

I didn't want Shinji to be in a situation he honestly did not not want to be in instead of just putting him in it. I thought more on what the character would likely do instead of just making him do it.

I can't say how they got unit 01 out of space or why they did not bother to get the lance as well.

I need to make it clear that there is the possibility that not all of Kaji's soul is in the Eva. Asuka's mother's maternal part of her soul was in Asuka and it still functioned, yet unit 00 is a complete mystery as there is no official evidence as to who was in it. I could guess it may have been Rei 1 but I still won't touch it. You also need to make sure you understand that, even though a know it all character says something, doesn't mean it's true. It's the character saying it, not me XD.

I'm glad you liked Asuka and the mature content is like part of the story I skipped out so you guys don't have to read it unless you want to somewhere else. So you don't need to read it.

Zerouzumaki34: Rei is gone...I can't really see myself honestly bringing her back when her life was fulfilled as Rei 1 tells us that she is just an object pretending to be somebody and that she is just a part of lilth. After merging with lilith and after Shinji rejects instrumentality, it's obvious to tell that lilith no longer exists and that Rei is probably gone as well. I doubt her soul resides in an fake world as she was lilth in a sense and didn't get such a luxury. It's not easy to explain and you need a lot of Evangelion knowledge and research to understand where I am coming from.

SithKnight-Galen : A lot of questions. Okay I'll start backwards. Asuka has no visible scarring so far and it's not something she gets upset about that much, I guess it didn't seem important, at this stage, to mention it. Asuka is strong and can handle a few scars.

The soul of 03? it's his mother, there will be more elaboration on that at a later date. Toji kind of explained how he can pilot Eva again, so read the chapter again or if you want more detail then PM me and I'll be happy to answer.

You most definitely will find out what they have been doing these past five years. As for the Angels, I guess not, but it depends on what context you are going for, as humans are Angels in the NGE universe but then there are more things the first ancestral race did and what remains hinted but a mystery.

I can't properly answer the cannon question, I want it to but it is 5 years later so...

Jon117:

Thanks man, but Shinji is going to have to work around this guy. Thanks for the review, made me laugh.


	4. Fitting in

Fitting in

**Fitting in**

_And I came here to make you dance tonight_

_I don't care about my guilty pleasure for you_

Shinji sat in a Gekko-2-8-3000 as the NERV driver rolled the elevator down to the Geo-front. Toji sat beside him playing on his handheld console with some difficulty. Shinji had been called in to the Evangelion test centre so Ritsuko could direct it him through his job requirements and how it would work. They thought best to try as soon as possible and when better than a morning synch test; the first real synch test with Loroko without the simulation plug.

_And I don't even know_

_what kinda fool you're taking me for_

_so you've got some brand new clothes,_

_you never could afford before_

For some reason the music that was playing made him think of Asuka and how she could be two faced sometimes. Speaking of which, Asuka would be there and he was dreading that. They had left on relatively good terms but she tended to be the queen of all bitches when posing in front of others.

_Oh brother spare us all!_

_we don't care any more_

_we just wanna get down on the floor_

_you sell yourself to make it_

_you can dish it, but can you really take it_

He watched as the light reflected off the water surrounding NERV headquarters, sparkling like a thousand crystals of sand. He could relate to the singer. Again, those were almost the exact words he had wanted to say to Asuka many times during their stay with Misato before third impact and the rebirth.

They jerked in their seats as the C-22 Special Express Train finished its transition from Sengokuhara Underground Central Station to NERV HQ reached its destination.

They got out the car as it was secured. It was then transported on a type of conveyor belt to be put in a parking lot, as the group made their way to the security door.

"Security is fifty times tighter than it was the last time you were here," Toji informed as a camera scanned him with a blue light, tracing over his body for any unauthorized objects or particles. "Some guy managed to get in here one time with a Bluetooth jammer inside his heart, it was gross." Toji grimaced and so did Shinji. The idea of any kind of foreign device stitched to his internal and vital organs made him slightly sick.

Shinji stepped up to the scanner and winced a little as the blue rays went into his eyes, checking for dangerous particles and for identification purposes.

"When will I get me knew NERV ID?" Shinji asked as the steel door in front of them unlocked with a hiss, the suction padding giving way and allowing the door to slide open.

"You'll probably get it sometime today when we meet Doctor Akagi for your job description," Toji muttered as his cell phone beeped, causing him to whip it out. He continued to walk and Shinji watched as his expression changed to an awkward frown.

Not meaning to be intrusive but curious all the same. "What's wrong?" he asked. Something told Shinji it had to do with him.

"Asuka sent me a message saying we are late and to hurry up or else," he sighed, putting away the cell phone with a slightly aggressive movement. "Fucking bitch,"

"We're late?" Shinji asked, puzzled, he was sure the time to get to NERV was 8 AM sharp; it was only 07:15. He, Toji, and two others stepped into Central Elevator No.226, the doors shutting and the familiar annoying click of floors going pass filling the air.

_you're never gonna get it with nothing_

_cause nothing's what you got in your head_

_so stop pretending_

Shinji looked up at one of the screens on the field as it said (Car N3A GGA radio) just as Toji started to speak. "No, we're not late, just that Asuka is a bitch, and you and I both know that she's out for you." Toji answered as the elevator doors opened and the two walked down the passage and into the plug observation centre.

Immediately they were approached by Asuka who shoved a NERV ID into Shinji's hands and glared up at Toji. "Why is it that everyone gets here before you? Every time you are the last one to arrive." She scowled at him, which, to Shinji, made her look extremely desirable.

Toji took a life-preserving step back while rubbing the scar on his chin. "Well, I do have to travel farther and my breakfast is pretty big. Hikari practically forces the food down my throat." He complained back. Toji knew that Asuka and Hikari were the greatest of friends and that meant that they gossiped about absolutely everything. It was for this reason Toji had to be almost sub-servant to Asuka; otherwise, he would get an earful from Hikari who always got the more over dramatized version from Asuka. It may have been Toji's paranoia, but he believed Hikari was in on it too and that the two of them were picking on him for their sense of amusement.

"Whatever. Get your plug suit on, and get in the plug." She ordered before turning her glare towards Shinji who slightly recoiled. "Ritsuko will inform you on what you need to do, listen closely and don't get in the way of everyone else," She spoke, turning away while muttering, "You've already been a nuisance as it is."

The comment stung but Shinji shook it off, he knew Asuka was going to be a lot, a real lot of work, but he was sure they could overcome it; one or two comments weren't so bad, it was better than the ranting she used to do when she was a teenager.

He walked over to Dr Akagi who was busy looking over some notes; she glanced up and waved him over to sit down next to her. "You seem to be fitting in well," she greeted.

Shinji sat down heavily at that. "Yeah, it's better than what I thought it was going to be like. I was expecting for her to rant at me for 25 minutes before storming off, but I guess she's..." He thought on the word he was looking for.

"Matured?" She asked, not looking at him as she ticked some boxes. Shinji looked Ritsuko over, she had changed so little, he noticed her hair going brown at the roots and he did recall hearing that Ritsuko had died her hair blonde.

"Yeah, I guess that's the word I was going for..." He nodded thinking back to how the old Asuka would have been compared to the current one. "I kind of never thought she would ever mature, just thought she would stay the same." He admitted with a faint blush. He was so glad Asuka was busy talking to Maya. God help him if she heard.

"Would it have been a bad thing if she didn't?" Ritsuko questioned with humour in her voice, however, the question really got Shinji thinking about what exactly would he have done if she had not changed. It wasn't as if he had kept contact with her or anyone in Tokyo-3. He had seen her in some newsreels and conferences along with the film the devil's doll. He couldn't honestly say he was there to see her grow up to become the woman she is now. That fact nagged at his brain all the time, and the opportunities were just gone. Wasted because he wanted a simple life. He wanted to finally run away; and where did that get him?

He looked up to find Ritsuko staring at him with a soft smile and Shinji turned his face away with a nervous smile, trying to draw interest away from his red cheeks to his words. "So..., what am I going to be doing around here from now on?" He asked, shaking his head a little and focusing back on Ritsuko.

She nodded her approval of the quick recovery and turned to get a few sheets of paper to place in his hand. "These are some documents of Loroko and his timetable, along with some personality information and synchronization graphs with unit 01."

Shinji's eyes widened "41.89...that's really good, how long has he been trying to synchronize with him?" He asked, nodding his head at the results listed on the paper.

"Him?" Ritsuko asked, raising one eyebrow at Shinji.

"Ah," Shinji blinked a few times and felt awkward. Kaji was the Evangelion's soul, or at least that was what everyone believed. Ever since he found out, Shinji's mind had been labelling the Evangelion as a "he" rather than an "it".

"It's all right, almost everyone except Asuka calls the Eva he, due to Kaji being the soul." Ritsuko eased, eyes turned up at the monitor overlooking cage 7 where Evangelion 01 was stationed. The Eva was in need of a serious repaint as most of the colour had vanished during the de-fossilization process.

Shinji tilted his head at that and looked over to Asuka to see her round ass as she bent over the desk next to Maya, the business skirt only did so much but the curve of that behind was extraordinary, Shinji had to look away to fight down the blood rushing to his crotch.

He coughed into his hand to move any unwanted attention away from the mid formed tent to his face. "Does she not believe it or something?" He choked out.

Ritsuko was looking at her laptop as she shook her head. "Well, we only got a little to go on, and Kaji has only shown some memories to Misato and an image of himself to Loroko, apart from that, we got nothing to actually confirm its Kaji. As for why Asuka does not believe...you're going to have to ask her yourself," she answered. "Anyway, you'll be like a supervisor over the Evangelion synchronisation, behaviour, abnormalities, in or out of battle, and helping the pilots, specifically Loroko, to achieve the best synch rate possible." She began

"Wasn't that your job?" Shinji asked honestly

"Not really, it was just something I had to do, but now you are doing it, it saves a lot of time, paperwork and hassle so I can get the more important, or equally important, aspects completed. This job is mostly demanding in the paperwork aspect as many divisions actually look at your reports to help them complete their tasks. We have psyche element that needs constant tweaking every day and they are altered by what you put in your reports concerning the pilot's mood, personality, traits, new developments and the such, otherwise we can't even link pilot and Eva together, let alone synchronising with them." Ritsuko explained casually.

Shinji took a big breath in and let it out. Well, it was either this or piloting the Evangelion again, he couldn't complain. "So...do I have a desk or-"

"Your office is on this floor, ninth wing in the research department. Most of the time you're going to have to be in here recording the tests and the pilot's feedback and watching it over to get down notes to write out your assessments to suggest areas of improvement." She leaned over her desk and pulled over a laptop with a wireless tablet on top of it before handing it to Shinji. "You'll record all your notes in that and after a session is done, go to Makoto Hyuga for the recoding of it." She finished before moving away to a terminal. "Loroko is headed to the test plug, I suggest you go and meet him," she added, starting up the terminal and beginning the final preparations for today's test.

Shinji sat there for a moment, digesting the information given to him. He wondered for the hundredth time if he should go back to...shit! Maria, he had forgotten to call her and her mother about him staying.

Shinji rubbed the bridge of his nose in vexation as he stood up to go to harmonics. He was so caught up in all the things going on around him that he forgot about the few people who took care of him these past four or so years. He placed a memo down on his laptop as he moved to the escalator ascending to the harmonics room.

He suddenly bumped into someone, said person falling back on their ass while Shinji retained his balance. "Sorry about that, wasn't looking where I was going." Shinji said, holding out a hand for the person, he quickly noticed it was an Eva pilot due to the black and orange plug suit. "Whoa, you're Loroko, right? I'm Shinji, your..." He fumbled for the word, "Field advisor?"

Loroko ignored the hand and stood up with a frown. "Asuka is the field advisor; you are an Evangelion veteran who is using his knowledge to help my piloting of Evangelion 01, your previous Evangelion." He said with slight snappish tone included.

"You make it sound like I'm getting a different one." He said not quite liking this first impression conversation.

"Well, you gave up the right of pilot of Evangelion 01 even if your current status in the Magi says otherwise." He answered vehemently.

Deciding that this conversation was going nowhere he decided on a different approach. "Anyway, um, I need to ask how you are feeling, emotionally and physically." He gestured to the laptop as he said it.

Loroko groaned before huffing in acceptance. "Physically fine, emotionally annoyed and frustrated." He replied. He felt as if he was a child being asked by the school nurse how he felt when he didn't want to talk.

"Good" Shinji said, writing that down on the tablet while Loroko rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Uh, let me see, what do you normally do to prepare your mind for this test."

Loroko stepped back to lean against the wall in thought. After 20 seconds of waiting he finally managed to answer Shinji in what he hoped would be understandable. "I clear all my tension away and focus on what it feels like to be in the Eva and just stay like that."

"Do you continue that inside the Eva?" Shinji asked of Loroko.

"Yeah, unless something changes, then I might focus on looking for the problem." He finished, looking at Shinji's face that was fixed in an odd expression. "Is that wrong?" He asked honestly wanting to know.

"Uh, not really, just, for me, I used to try and explore the similarities in body between me and Eva, and then I would accept the difference and keep my brain focused on those. It's like...getting a new controller. You keep using it until you don't have to look down at it to use fluently." Shinji answered in what he thought would be the most beneficial explanation.

"So... focus on the parts of the body I'm familiar with and try to get used to them?" Loroko tried to summarize, looking at the floor as if it would open with a book full of answers.

"Yeah, but there is a lot more you need to recognise and control. I've never been in the Evangelion with Kaji's soul in it but I do know that those methods generally work for all pilots, at least, Asuka and Rei did as well.

Loroko pushed off the wall and looked Shinji in the eye. The two stared at one another for a while before the boy nodded his head and made his way up the escalator.

Shinji sighed, it could have gone a lot worst but it was a very good start in his opinion. He just hoped his advice worked; otherwise, Loroko would lose a lot of growing confidence in Shinji and may never listen to him again.

"Oh, boy" Shinji said to himself, running his hand through his hair.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What did you say to him, Shinji-san?" Maya asked as she looked over her shoulder at the hunched form of Shinji.

He looked up from his typing and smiled, "Just my way of doing things,"

"The idiot way." Asuka said as she observed Toji's test plug.

Deciding in, one of his brief burst of male dominance, not to take any shit from Asuka about his new job, Shinji went ahead and gave a little back. "Not sure what _you_ got, but I do recall going to 400 cough so that's why I believe my methods will be more effective than...your own."

There was silence that followed and Shinji almost thought he went too far before he heard a high-pitched whistle from Asuka's rosy lips. "So the spineless wonder finally grows some balls, when did that happen?" She remarked, as everyone else was dead silent.

"I already had balls Asuka. You were just too engrossed in older men to know what you were missing." He replied and Asuka's mouth fell open in shock. It surprised Shinji that no matter the expression, Asuka looked hot.

"Wow, Shinji-kun, that's how you do it, finally!" Aoba chimed in followed by the giggle of Maya and the chuckle of Makoto. Asuka's eyes narrowed and she was about to open her mouth before Ritsuko chimed in.

"As fascinating as that is, we have a job to do and acting like a child is not to do with it. Please don't forget that." She reminded them all with a slight ghost of a smile and a shake of her head.

Asuka turned away and told Toji to focus as his synch rate dropped by a margin. Makoto returned his focus to cage 7 and Evangelion unit 01. "We'll begin the plug insertion and synchronisation in 2 minutes from now, all D class personnel, please leave the hangar and stay on standby, get those medical teams ready people, we won't know what will happen this time around." he informed the teams.

"Maya, make sure lock bolt 01 for both shoulders are secure, I also want to make sure Evangelion 01 has no internal power, it needs to be running off the external-input primary power connector." Ritsuko ordered, standing up and looking at the Magi readings.

"Roger, bolt locks 1 and 2 are confirmed to be functioning properly. Magnet locks detected in the shoulder restraint gathering plates all armour restraints confirm maximum strength, no irregularities." Maya replied as Aoba and Makoto started relaying orders and reports.

Shinji looked around in confusion. He had not been in NERV for a very long time. He knew most of the procedures but he had never looked at preparations from this angle. The teamwork and coordination put into the work around him was fascinating and uplifting. He felt like part of a well-oiled machine. Knowing that before he used to be a big gear in the whole operation and now he was like one of many bolts. He did not feel regretful or saddened by the downgrade, no, he felt enriched by it. When you saw things from the big perspective, you missed out all the great and wondrous things that happened around you: the work and effort made by others to make sure everything went 100 percent in the planned direction.

"You look confused, Ikari. You should know what Eva 01 is like." He heard Asuka say. He turned to look at her, her face staring at the display that showed unit 01 in its cage. He looked down at his notes then back up, swallowing. The memories of the hurt, the pain, the sadness, and the power that behemoth had brought flooded his brain. None of the thoughts held any particular happiness. He didn't hate the Eva and couldn't hate the Evangelion. His own unwillingness led to the worst situations. Toji, Tokyo-3's desolation, Asuka's coma, Rei's death. He had the power, he was just too afraid of the consequences...or perhaps...

Shinji shook his head, blinking away the images. He and Evangelion 01 were a team. Oddly enough, while he could never really consider his mother the Eva itself, he could always believe she was _in_ it but not actually it. Even when he found out, he just thought she was trapped. Even if the others told him it was his mother protecting him, he felt there was something else to it.

He now knew how right Ayanami was. He did have a bond with Eva, and one, shockingly; he was not so willing to give up. He may have had some kind of possessiveness over it like a master to a dog or a blacksmith to a hammer. Perhaps he did not want anyone to go through the ordeal of being the pilot of it or the destructive force it could wreck. What he did know was that he did not want Loroko in it. Funny, he swore he never wanted to enter the thing again. Now he saw that it was being the pilot, the status, was what hurt him, what made him feel weak; but, he knew why all that was. He was a 14 year old boy with the world on his shoulders. What the fuck was he meant to do? Stand up straight and take it like an adult that he could not force himself to be? Deal with the struggle and a bit of support from everyone else? Now he was (though not technically true) pushing the responsibility on Loroko. Just like Misato had done to him. But they had no choice, there was no one else back then, no one as good, no one who it would allow.

Now was different, Asuka was right. He was a coward and it shamed him to admit it. Did he learn nothing from the mistakes of the past, did he just want to follow in their footsteps even though he could take it, knew how to take it, was old enough to take it?

"Wake up Ikari, we are beginning." Asuka snapped him back into reality and looked up to see Loroko enter the plug and a window to open up on the side of the screen displaying the internals of the plug.

"Ceasing flywheel rotations, unlock the connectors!"

"No problems with main and auxiliary power."

"Discharging stop signal plug."

"Confirming...confirm-okay, inserting entry plug." One of the main technicians said as the spinal armour covering the plug containment rolled and knotted back. "Direct hydro-transmission initialised. Prepare to connect." The entry plug lowered into the plug, the latches letting go as soon as the plug was half inserted. The Evangelion automatic plug insertion system rotating the plug the rest of the way inside.

A monitor showed the insertion of the plugs depth in a mixture of colours. "Probe needle diving complete!" Makoto said above the hustle and bustle of the cage 7 command room. Orders were being shouted, men and women were rushing about with orders and tasks to be completed.

Shinji watched it all happen before Ritsuko tapped him and pointed to Loroko on the screen and then his notes. Quickly understanding and blushing in embarrassment. "Uh, Loroko, how's it feel?" he asked with slight hesitation.

"Can't feel anything until I'm connected," he relied in an exasperated sing song tone.

Shinji glanced around, happy no one else was listening to increase his embarrassment but the smile on Asuka's face did look a little suspect.

"Plug, maintaining depth of twenty. Thought pollution grazing acceptable levels." Shinji grimaced at that one, wondering for tenth time if he was going to be the one for Loroko's probable bad scoring.

"Maintaining range between plus 0.51 and minus 05.72." Shinji recalled having higher ranges than that.

""Interior set!" a man shouted from his station on the umbilical bridge just as the spinal armour closed.

"Roger, begin first contact" Ritsuko ordered into her microphone. "Flooding entry plug."

"Good grief," Loroko muttered earning grins and smirks from those that heard him. Shinji could fully sympathise with Loroko, the LCL was terrible, once you knew what it was...Good grief was right on the nail.

"Beginning second contact"

"Initializing Evangelion on-board interface." Shinji couldn't see it but he knew Loroko was seeing his plug changing different colours and patterns as it restarted the Eva's visuals. "A-10 nerve connection just above minimum." He shook his head, maybe it was more the Eva than Loroko, he hoped that was not the case, a forceful rejection was never nice, at least, that's what he saw and heard.

"LCL electrification process is nominal. Fix the language logic to Japanese; we had to switch it to German yesterday." Shigeru Aoba added

"Any problems?" Asuka asked.

"We're getting a few static connection problems with the pilot and Eva but it should work. Seventy-five points on the list are not connecting due to pilot and Eva unsynchronised leaving a total of 249 amber and 721 green." He let out a long breath between teeth at that and squinted his eyes at the sour readings. Asuka ran a hand through her hair.

"Jesus...," Shigeru said. Shinji lowered his head, this was really bad, first time Shinji ever got into an Evangelion it was green across the board, the same went for Toji as well. Asuka had some yellow but none red.

"Synapse measurement?" Asuka questioned.

"Pathetic, 23.1 on the synch rate." Ritsuko answered.

"Remember what I told you Loroko," She reminded him, hoping something was going to work out after all of this. Loroko narrowed his eyes before closing them, exploring the Evangelion in his mind's eye.

"Ohhhh, some of the yellow point of contact are turning green, none of the reds are making a recovery. We can't even get a decent synch rate if we don't have at least 95 green and the harmonics are low as well. Feedback is going up and down and the Evangelion's mental thought is not even reaching us. It will be months before we even get up to the 40 synch rate margin for mobility let alone for full activation." Maya added, looking very displeased.

Shinji glanced at Maya before feeling the weighted stare of Asuka on him. He looked down, not willing to meet those painfully truthful eyes. _Fuck!_

"Continue the test, we'll take a 30 minute break in one hour, Shinji," Shinji looked up at Asuka. "Come with me for a moment." Asuka said flatly.

_Oh shit,_Shinji mentally groaned at that. Getting off his seat and following her out. The others winced at him in sympathy as he exited the room. He stood outside the control room with Asuka who had her arms folded and expression none too welcoming. Shinji casually put his hands in his pockets and had to keep his eyes averted from her brilliant blue.

"You know why I called you out here." She said knowingly

"This is about me piloting Eva, isn't it?" He sighed; he was dreading this ever since he sat down. She had never straight out told him about how she felt of his choice in not piloting Eva, and he was damn sure he did not want to. Mainly because he was adamant that whatever came out of Asuka's mouth would be incredibly affecting.

"You're right, it is, and ever since you left a few years ago I always thought you ditched us: left us to fight for ourselves. You never stood with us; instead, you were living it up in Brazil while we were all under investigation. You shrugged off your responsibilities to NERV; you did the one thing you chanted to yourself not to do." Asuka said firmly, eyes growing in intensity. Shinji bit his lip as he looked into her eyes, something in those orbs had more than pent up rage...jealousy, hate, hurt? He wanted to respond but could not think of anything to defend himself, and in all honesty, he felt as if her very words were everything he deserved and more. He felt his self-loathing creeping back in, his sense of worth lowering and his confidence slowly ebbing.

"I-I ran away,"

"Yes, exactly, Shinji, you ran away, from NERV, Misato, Ritsuko, Hikari, Toji, Kensuke, even Rei and your father. You threw it all away and into the back of your skull as if we were a bad taste in your mouth."

"That's not-" he began

"That may not be what you intended but could we think of it any other way? Would you expect us to think of any other way?" She looked down, "Everything has changed, roles have been filled and replaced, and both in our ranks and our lives; my mother, your mother, Kaji and even that doll. Do you know how much I desired the life you lived?" She looked back up into his eyes with an almost unnatural intensity Shinji had to fight from stepping back from. "I wanted to leave NERV and Eva and everything! Become famous, recognised, and become a woman her would stay in the pages of history." She began again.

"You didn't want the fame?" He asked slowly

She smiled at his response with a mocking air, "Of course I wanted the fame, I spent my life training and working my ass to be a pilot, then I had to survive it all until the very end. I achieved my goal, I was recognised, but that was only the beginning. You've seen the news and the film, everything I've done after impact. I have a killer boyfriend with an astounding background and more PHD's than I have pairs of shoes. The media loves me, I'm a shining star and example for many young women and aspiring females with a hell of world record to boot. I'm even religiously worshipped as the new Eve or Mary." She told him with a smile and hands on her hips.

Shinji was smiling a little as well. Asuka looked genuinely happy, a rare site, and one never to be taken for granted. He supposed this was another one of the reasons he came back, to see that smile. Seeing her happy made him happy, he couldn't quiet explain why. He wanted to give it words or a definition, but it was too pure, to raw to lower it with any words, maybe it was love. Maybe it was a bond he had created with her through their trials and tribulations. All he knew is that it felt good and he wanted to do everything to make her feel happy, content, blissful, joyous, so much more that he could only fantasize about accomplishing. However, this Martin bitch was a problem in a long list of problems that needed to be dealt with. He would have to reform the three stooges to get some advice and battle plans.

"You're drooling, Ikari," Asuka sighed in annoyance. Shinji wiped his mouth noting that he actually was not and quickly coughing in an attempt to cover his embarrassment. "Anyway, none of this has anything to do with why I called you out here," At that Shinji burst out laughing, not at all gaining an impressed look from Asuka who watched him lean over in a fit. "I don't see how that is funny."

"It's just chuckle it's just that you were talking for like 5 minutes and then you say it has nothing to do with why you called me out here, chuckle There's just something so hilarious about that." He finished, starting to calm down.

"_Anyway_" She paused to show she was actually steaming on the inside at that. "You and I both know that Loroko will not be able to actually pilot unit 01 within a year, fat chance."

"Well I'm trying my best to-"He began before being interrupted.

"I said unit 01..." She paused meaningfully

"You mean the other Eva unit that is coming soon...but then why-"

"Unit 01 is a very powerful Evangelion, at least it has shown a more active strength than the rest. So it would make sense for us to try and make it useful. Not to mention we may need all the fire power we can get." She admitted with a sigh, "Don't get me wrong, my Evangelion is very strong but even I don't know what will be coming to face us." Shinji bit his lip at that; he knew how hard it was for Asuka to admit weakness especially to him. He could only guess on how valuable unit 01 was to NERV. Shinji himself gave it as much value as he would a dog and until he found out about his mother, he never changed his view.

"But can Loroko pilot the other Eva?"

She nodded "At least his synch rate in the test plug was 48, better than what he has ever achieved in 01." She stated turning away as her pager beeped, Shinji, again, considered her backside, chewing the inside of his lip before quickly looking up as she turned around. She looked him over before breathing out a very heavy sigh. "Listen, Shinji, I'll be frank, I need you to try synchronising with unit 01-"

"I already told-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" She screamed at him and he jumped back a little in surprise, eyes wide in shock, never hearing her scream so loudly forcibly before. Her eyes were glowing in leashed rage and her body twitched as if she was using all her power from tearing his body to pieces. "I've tried to be calm and direct with you like Misato asked, but I see that you really want to be a pain in the ass and make this difficult." She seethed in an almost whisper that made Shinji listen very closely to her words. "Now, I'm telling you. You will at the very least, try one synch test, if it fails then I won't bother you about it anymore, but for God's sake Shinji; stop dropping the responsibility on children like your father and start taking things into your own hands like an adult!" She finished, face flushed, breathing heavy and eyes slightly dilated.

Shinji just stared at her, not hurt or upset, mad or in a rage. He was just shocked, not believing she went that far in the first place. It felt like he had been slapped in the face with a wet fish, which he had at one time in Brazil. He'd been presented with exactly what he was becoming...like his father. So that was what it was, that was why he felt like scum, felt like he was copying someone. Why he felt disgusted with his lack of responsibility. He was hiding behind a child, hurt like his father had done. He felt worse knowing his father did not possess the ability to pilot Eva, however, Shinji did...he did. _Oh God, I've been such an idiot, no wonder Asuka shouted so loudly...like father like son? No, if I'm going to be anything like my father then I'm at least going to do all I can to protect the things I believe in. This is my life, and it was about to become my father's if it was not thanks to Asuka._

"I..." Asuka began looking ashamed of herself, "I'm sorry. I went too far it's just..." She stopped as his hands grasped her shoulders. She looked straight up into his eyes; they spoke of wonder, amazement, and an undertone of amusement.

"How long have you been saving that up?" He asked with a beaming smile.

Asuka blushed under his warming gaze and replied; "How long ago was it since you left?" She asked rhetorically earning a soft chuckle from Shinji. He let go of her arms and she was both relieved and disappointed from the warmth of his touch.

Asuka backed away from him and blinked away the feeling, reasserting herself. "Anyway, I'll arrange a synch test with you and Evangelion 01." She murmured

"But what about my current job?" Shinji asked, not too willing to give it up. He had been genuinely excited to be working like the others and he really wanted to work well in a field he was secure he could do.

"I never said you had to train Loroko only when he is with unit 01. It also counts for any Eva and pilot, not to mention it takes a lot of work off my plate as well." Asuka answered, hand combing through her hair as the tense feelings that lingered melted away.

"Oh...uh...okay...by the way," He started as Asuka's sparkling hair and the beautiful motion it went through mesmerized him. Her hair had grown longer, descending to her rear with not a split end in sight.

"Hmm?" She answered distractedly

Now that sounded too sensual for Shinji's blood, which was headed to his crotch again. "Are you doing anything Friday? I would really like to just talk and...hang out...uh...yeah" He mentally kicked himself for not articulating when he most needed it.

"Yeah okay, what time and are you picking me up?" She asked twirling a strand of hair in her fingers while looking at a vending machine.

"Uh, 12 PM. I'll take you out to lunch and we'll hang out around Tokyo and go to a few parks. I really want to check out the one with the Sakura blossoms, then we'll go to the theme park, go eat out somewhere and then I'll arrange a surprise and then take you back home." Shinji managed to stumble through, now all he had to do was pray to God that she accepted it.

"This is basically a date isn't it; depending on your answer I may not go." She said squinting at her nails.

He looked to his right and considered his answer, truth or bullshit..."Yeah...if that's okay with you?" He said hopefully.

Asuka's eyes travelled up and down his body before turning and nodding her head in approval. Shinji's shoulders visibly relaxed at that earning a small smile from Asuka, one that vanished as soon as it came. "Anyway, we'll keep trying to improve Loroko's synch rate. We always have to be prepared." She told him solemnly as she walked back into the control room.

Shinji watched her enter with some sadness. He had detected pain in that comment, one he knew she could have only have gained through these last few years. Asuka was tough; however, she had a centre softer and more fragile than any other. He was going to protect everyone this time, and he was most definitely going to work on his relationship with Asuka, even if it killed him, or that prick; Martian.

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"So...?" Misato asked at her desk looking over the classified files with Kurokari standing next to her, face devoid of much emotion. Opposite them, Jack stood with a folder in his arms looking the part as always.

"The facility has been under our observation for a few weeks now and we have detected radio wave transmission interference from three points. With this much information, along with reports indicating the frequent visits of an odd assortment of people, times of arrival, entryways and exits along with schematics of the structure." He listed off what was already on the paper in Misato's hands. "We plan to send in a strike team to go in silently, eliminating the three interception points, and breaching all entry and exit points at the same time, while Ryuu squad enters from the sewage system. The only way out will be through air and that will be covered." He informed them of the battle plan he and the other strategists had developed.

They had been trying to find out a H.I.C base for months and had only recently found, what they believed to be, a gathering places for members in Japan. It was a gamble as the last insurrection had found them empty handed and hell of a problem to keep off the media and that damned YouTube. Forensics had put together a very crude message explaining these H.I.C men were watching NERV. The only difference between now and then was they had done their homework, and had worked their asses off to keep this as tight lipped as possible. The only way this failed is if they had a leak, and Misato did not like leaks.

"Collateral damage?" Kurokari asked. He was the one who had to deal with most of it as Misato was worthless with complaints, payments, and lawyers.

"We have made arrangements for that. At worst, this will get on the net before we can cut it off and will take weeks to get down. It will most likely be in a few publications we don't own but not enough to be a problem; Asuka will most likely be needed. However, telling her about the mission could be,troublesome." He said this as if the words left a very bad taste in his mouth he was trying not to spit out.

"Troublesome is what she is. God help us all once she finds out." Misato moaned to herself.

"Perhaps Shinji could be some use in this situation." Kurokari suggested, instantly, Misato's head sprung up to look up at him in full defence of Shinji, like a mother protecting a child that could do no wrong in her eyes. "We could ask him to tell the media and journalists it's nothing to worry about, because it is not anything to worry about. Make him distract them from the truth," he explained calmly

"I'm not sure," Misato voiced lowering her eyes and head to her desk and folding her arms on the wood. "What if the pressure is too much for him?" Kurokari admired the love and dedication Misato showed Shinji, he could not remember his bitch of a mother being so.

"Just ask him, I'm sure a few people are nothing to the battle of the Angels." Jack added

"To him, man is the worst enemy Shinji ever had and they have yet to prove him wrong to date." She sighed, waving her confirmation of the idea. "I'll ask him. Anyway, you have my full backing of the operation. Keep it as silent as possible. It's going to be hard enough keeping it off the net, let alone dealing with the pilots. I'm not even sure if the truth will do it for them." Jack looked at Kurokari who shrugged with a soft smile before turning serious.

"You have 11 hours to have this operation going. Keep in mind of civilians and nobody dies unless necessary. I would really like to interrogate this scum instead of pissing on their graves without answers." Kurokari finally said to Jack.

"Understood!" Jack saluted with the pair doing the same before he left the room with determination in his eyes.

He had scum to flush out.

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"Shinji, are you really sure about this?" Kensuke asked. He Toji and Shinji had gone to a café as soon as the testing was finished. It was in the higher class tier of Tokyo-3, meaning only a few people had come up to him asking for autographs or questions about himself, so it was moderately easy to sit down and relax with his friends.

Shinji was a bit put off on this place due to the large tips the waiters expected, 400 yen was not a huge amount, but for a tip, that was pushing it. Kensuke had given the tip as he was a frequent customer and was honoured among the workers and staff to a degree. Toji was the only exception, as Hikari did own the café so it made sense that he had t pay nothing, otherwise it would be going back into Hikari's pocket.

"Well, I was always feeling guilty and a part of me always felt that I didn't belong here unless I was in that thing. Like I felt half empty, lukewarm, not complete, you know?" He asked, trying to get his thoughts across.

He was happy to see Kensuke nod, "You wanted to find your place instead of being in-between intervals. I know what that feels like, but Shinji, there is a lot more to this than trying it out. If your synch rates are high or moderate then Asuka will force you into piloting when trouble starts. You'll find yourself in synch tests more than writing reports or helping Toji or Loroko develop better relations with their Eva's." Kensuke explained, again surprising Shinji with his knowledge. But then again, Shinji had only spent a little less than a year with NERV while these two had been with them for maybe 5 years now; there were many things he was not yet privy to.

"Yeah, I mean, Asuka has good intentions just..." He trailed off as Shinji focused his gaze on him, "It's just, she manipulates on accident. I mean we all do it, she just does a lot more than us. She may have feelings and the like for you but NERV is really her world, you've only been exposed to the surface." He said quietly.

Shinji's eyes looked between the two and he looked down at the table. He could admit not knowing a hell of a lot but he thought Asuka's feelings were genuine enough and that she wasn't trying to play him. They had been friends and almost a bit more back then, if he had stayed..., no, if he had stayed she would have moved on, he knew how it worked. You couldn't expect to get in a relationship at fourteen and carry it for the rest of your life. Twenty was possible but any younger was very unlikely. Teenagers and young adults wanted to explore more relationships, different people, different lovers, he had wanted those, got some of them too, but what of Asuka?

"Can't you tell me anymore?" He asked with a dead serious expression on his face, one that made Toji straighten and Kensuke lean forwards.

"Shinji, we can tell you a little but only the little we know and a lot of it is opinion based on what we have seen." Shinji nodded his go ahead, "Now don't go us wrong, we like Asuka almost like a sister, however, she's changed Shinji, not so much in her attitude but more in her methods." Shinji glanced at Toji who was shaking his head with a smile that did not reach his eyes before looking back to Kensuke. "Life was...hard on her, I'm sure you heard about the investigation and such, and the investigation did not stop at her current acts, no, went right down to her birth. They uncovered everything and the media...it was as if the media was being fed this information like an old man feeding birds. Everything was on the news and television, even the bad stuff, and the whole world judged her, accused her, though, in all honesty, the bad things she did was typical of her age but everyone expected perfection or else she was living scum to them."

"You've got to love the media," Toji chuckled.

"We all got it bad, Misato got the worst of it but she knew how to take it, Asuka was a different case. She was still, mentally weak, Rebirth could fix physical problems not mental ones. Her...mental defences were down and she got steam rolled, she at least tried committing suicide three times, the worst one breaking her skull." Kensuke almost whispered, wary of the people around him.

"Right off Hikari's roof, I was there when Hikari called me and told me Asuka might want to die, apparently she had sent a farewell card to Hikari. When I got down to the park, her legs were broken, skull split almost perfectly, ripped skin; I really thought she was dead. Thank God to modern health care." Toji shuddered at the thought with Shinji close behind. It was an awful thing to think about and even worse knowing he was none the wiser while he was living the great life in Rio Grande Do Sul.

"After that she went back to her home land for a few months. They didn't judge her there. They loved her and defended her and she slowly grew stronger, Hikari was with her when she went to visit her mother's grave. She made a vow that Hikari will not tell us about and Asuka won't even acknowledge a question about it. That's when she met Martin, not the best guy in the world but he did manage to help her obtain more face to the world wide public and slowly she grew from there, then some other nations got television broadcasting and that was around the time Brazil became privy to Asuka. You only saw the good and not the bad." Kensuke explained with a type of emotion in his voice Shinji could not recognise. Shinji sat back, rubbed his eyes, and then ran a hand through his hair.

"Is that why she's so...mad at me?" He asked knowing the answer.

"Among other things, though, I think she forgave you the other day when you went to her place, she doesn't start conversations about you but she does contribute, and for Asuka, I think they are relatively nice things to say, like, she likes your hair and you look smart in your new NERV black clothing. Though, you kind of look like-" Toji started

"My father? I know, I just, I want people to be happy when they see me. I don't want them to constantly think he's commander Ikari's son, he's going be a dick. I want them to think back to the respect they had for him, I mean, my father was an ass hole but, many people respected his work, his calm and slow to temper attitude." He glanced at Toji and Kensuke's smiles. "Don't get me wrong, I don't like him, didn't know him enough to hate him. It's just, all the harsh things he did, now that I'm older I can understand why he did the things he did. As a commander, it was his job to keep his cool to be ruthless when it was needed. I'm not saying I accept all the things he did, not after the Eva unit 03 incident, but I understand where he was coming from and the problem that would arise if unit 01 did not destroy 03." Shinji explained, not sure how the other two would take it.

I pat on his back from Toji made him stare at his friend in confusion. "That's how I always saw it, my life for the planets, to me, my life is not worth the dirt Hikari and my little sister walk on, which she thought was sweet." He looked up into the clouds with a faraway look on his face.

"Anyway, I've actually arranged a kind of date with Asuka." Shinji informed the pair, bringing Toji back from his musing. Kensuke and Toji looked at one another, eyebrows raised before returning their gaze back Shinji.

"Are you serious?" Kensuke asked for them both, a nod confirmed it, "Well, okay Shinji, but be careful of that Martin guy, I've only seen him occasionally but know he's quite the prick when not in front of a camera." Kensuke warned knowing the battles of two males for a female.

"Yeah, and if you really want her that badly; you're going to have to fight for her, like brake a nose or something, I had competition I had to eliminate and the price was worth it. A few bruises and bloody knuckles I finally got in there!" He exclaimed holding a hand up for a high five. Not really understanding but wanting to share in his friend's celebration, Shinji high fived him anyway.

"You idiots..." He smiled, shaking his head before his pager bleeped, the other two stopping to look at their friend. Kensuke checked the message before nodding his head and putting away the pager. "I have to get home for dinner, her parents, aunties and sisters are coming over for this baby shower thing." He explained with a sigh, getting up and calling the waiter over.

"Isn't that a girl's thing?" Toji asked, leaning back with arms folded.

"Yeah but some of them family have never met me so I have to go to make an impression. You'll understand someday." Kensuke said with a chuckle paying the bill.

"Don't get me started," Toji sighed, leaning over, placing a hand on his forehead. "She's already started to stop us to look at wedding dresses, you would-" He was interrupted by a shout.

"Hey! Turn it up, turn it the _fuck_ up!" Someone roared and they watched as the plasma TV screen on a stand was turned up to its highest level. On the TV was the image of a newscaster sitting in his seat, nervous but serious all the same, with the headline Israel under attack.

"Dear, God know..." Toji whispered.

"Damn it, so this is their first active move." Kensuke said in boiling anger, Shinji just watched the screen in mixed dread and something else he could not hope to name.

"Not just ten minutes ago the USA army invaded Israel with reasons unknown. We have been able to get snippets indicating that nuclear weapons were being shipped and were planned to be used on the US lands. Over 50,000 men are scheduled to be dropped while the Israeli government is mobilizing their forces in defence for the attack with evidential support and have requested support from Russia and China with-oh wait, we have a live news reporter on the scene. Amy, Amy can you hear me."

Shinji's heart was pounding, it sounded like the whole entire city was listening in to the announcement, he glanced around as women held their children or looked on in shock and men stood with a face full of dread and suppressed panic. The hard, set, jaw of Toji's twitched as he thought down his emotions while Kensuke stood silently, his breathing loud like everyone else's.

The screen switched to that of a young woman who was crouched behind some buildings, body armour covering her chest as she spoke into her microphone. The sound of bombs and gunfire could be heard and the cameraman ducked down as a soldier fired next to him the distance. "Thank you, Iwada, as you can see the fighting has actually spread to Jerusalem. The ISA, who used to have provisions until this event, are pulling up a very heavy resistance and are demanding action from the U.N. Who are reserving judgement until all the facts are cleared up, they are demanding a cease fire." Shinji glanced at Kensuke who got a phone call and leaned down to listen in as the broadcast was displayed on the screens on the largest of buildings in the city.

A few dozen men ran past the screen and the lady, Amy, and her cameraman followed but almost stopped when one man's brain was splattered across the screen. "Jesus!" he screamed in shock as some of the blood covered the camera lens. They kept running and hunkered down, Amy wiped the camera lens but she was a mess and trembling. "I'd just like to say to that if I do die here I want my mother-" She stopped as a soldier primed a grenade but dropped it as he was shot in the chest. She perhaps thought the armour would protect her, or maybe she wanted to save her friend, either way, Amy fell onto the grenade and stayed there as it went off.

It would have not been so bad if it was a normal grenade, it was an incendiary grenade. Her screams filled the whole of Tokyo-3, children watching began to cry, mothers turned sons, daughters away from it, men and women were also shocked, and Shinji clutched his chest in pain. "Shinji" He looked up at Kensuke as Toji had already moved to the car. "We have to go; NERV wants you in its walls, now!" He said as people began to scream and panic, not sure what was going on. Kensuke dragged his stupefied friend into the land rover before jumping in himself.

"What the hell is going on?" Shinji shouted. He had regained his wits when he had been putting the back passenger's seat, his mind working at a thousand miles and sorting through all the things he had just seen. It was obvious Kensuke had gotten the call from NERV and it was obvious he must have known something from before when he mentioned someone making an "active move."

"It's H.I.C, I guess they had been planning this but me never expected Israel to be the one they would target, damn it all, what a mess. They must have been influencing some very high military commanders to make that decision." He snarled to himself.

"Why did the president give a go head, no, wait, you sure what happened to that woman. No wonder Israel is a threat." His venomous tone was not lost to the two as Kensuke fired back.

"That's exactly the fucking point!" He yelled back, shocking Shinji. He had never heard Kensuke use such language or speak with such raw emotion and anger in his voice. Nevertheless, Shinji was confused by what he said.

"What do you mean?" He asked surprised.

"Do you honestly think the news got leaks so fast that they could drop off news reporters off in Israel, have them set-up and kitted out after ten minutes after declaring an attack on Israel, even the Israeli government didn't see it coming. It was all set-up, we would all see, see these people die because they were probably told something big was going to happen, they followed not knowing what to do but to be little sheep in a fucking firefight taking on the USA perspective. So instead of looking at a country being invaded for no justifiable reason with any evidence to support it and the assault on farms and mainland, all we see is the US soldiers being killed and we immediately feel angered towards them." Kensuke explained angrily as the car swerved right into an alley.

Shinji looked out the window knowing he had just been fooled and without a similar explanation, everyone watching the casting would be thinking the same as he just did. "I'm sorry, I fell for it, I-"

"It's okay, I'm sorry I'm shouted. You're not trained in the mentality like the rest of us are. It's just...they caught us with our pants down, we can't even touch them since Israel are not even our allies, unless Japan is being attacked, NERV has to stay neutral as we are officially owned in a way by the UN except for action in our lands." He took of his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He felt the hand of Toji on his shoulder and he patted it in thanks. "This is exactly how those sons of bitches work. That's why," He turned to Shinji to look him dead in the eye. "That's why, when they make a move for us, we need to be prepared, we need all the strength we can muster because when they do attack, they'll have half the world behind them."

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"Move, move, move! We've jumped ahead of schedule; we are getting those sons of bitches now!" Jack shouted to the geared up Spacial forces breaking down doors into an abandoned facility. His men were originally set to wait for night but with the newscast and Misato's orders, he had to do this now, the sake of Israel probably rested on this and maybe even more than that, who knew what the neighbouring countries would do.

He had a bad feeling about the timing of all of this, a really bad feeling.

Alpha squadron, a squad of eight, advanced on the facilities many fire exits, the leader holding up a fist in the air and then pointing out two fingers to indicate they were 200 metres from exit, his men close behind. The leader then held his arm out horizontally with his palm open and made a waving motion, issuing for his men to slow down as they approached the exit.

The leader raised his arm 45 degrees up and then lowered; the squad understood the order and took positions around the door in preparation for a breach. The leader then lowered both hands below waist line to tell his men to get into a wedge formation before he turned around, told his second in command to keep his eyes on the door before he kicked it open with squad closely behind.

"Breached, targets sighted and-" The rattle of gunfire could be heard as things kicked off. The good thing about the news was that no one would be able to tell the difference between the screens audio and the fighting going on down here.

"9 targets sighted, heading for basement, bravo team, use caution, tangos equipped with AK-47u's and type 89 assault rifles, advise flashes as they are fitted with gas masks and body armour." Jack heard over his radio. He was a coordinator, that meant advising and making up new plans on the battlefield so his men could focus on the task presented on them instead of thinking it out for themselves.

The squad leader ducked behind some barrels before pointing at one of his men, tapped his mouth and then hit his helmet with a fist. The soldier behind cover nodded and primed a smoke grenade before throwing it over his cover of barrels and into the group.

"Try and force them down hall three and exit 9. That will lead down to the sewage system. Stay on tranquillisers; I want these bastards alive." He said from his makeshift command room in a NERV type 14 mobile command communications vehicle.

"Roger," He heard in responses and he checked over the map nodding to himself. The alpha leader made a swishing motion at his hip to slow increase the rate of fire into suppression. The nine individuals backed off into a passage and his men started to push them on.

"Iota team, you got the basement covered?" He asked the sewage team waiting for H.I.C members to pop out. This was too easy, especially from a group that had the power to start a war whenever they wanted. It seemed disturbingly wrong that there were only nine of them and that was it. Something was not right, he wanted to pull his men out but what could he say to his superiors who wanted to prevent a world war, 'oh, I had a bad feeling is all' That was not going to cut it, not one bit.

"Rog-shit here they come!" was the reply before the sound of gunfire could be heard with a few shouts and screams. Alpha team secured the basement and dropped down after the fleeing scum, jumping down to knock a few off their feet and quickly started to restrict and pin the casually clothed people. The Alpha squad leader turned his victim around only to be struck with horror at the sight. He held out an open fist, hit his chest three times and raised it in a fist that opened.

"We got a few-fuck!" Was the panicked shout on the line as Iota team leader spotted the hand signal.

"What's the matter?" He asked, remaining calm even though beads of shit were trailing down his neck, this was it, the worst feeling of them all, knowing you were right to feel bad but did nothing to prepare his men for the worst.

"They're wired, they're wired, and timer is 15 seconds, no ten!" Was the shout through his communications system as Iota team read more hand signals from Alpha leader who was slumped on his knees.

"This is Alpha lead, it's a detonator, 100 ton bomb in the basement we just past, didn't...didn't-"

"Retreat back to block seven, sniper team, if that is a dud you put one right in between his eyes. Get the van down there for fuck sa-" He was cut off as the facility suddenly blew up in a grand show of earth, dust, fire and leaves, blowing the MCCV right over and off into a river as other nearby vehicles were rocked right from their stationary position. Streets were torn asunder and it looked the surroundings were being pushed up from underneath by a huge bubble. The shock wave that followed smashed glass from car windows, homes and buildings, lifting people off their feet. Slamming wood piercing shards and debris at them as well. Smoke billowed from the explosion site as leaves fell from the air along with small pieces of rock and soot particles floated in the air.

The MCCV was on its side in the low river when the explosion started to settle, a lone figure kicked the double doors open before crawling out and lying on his back, the water reaching up to his ears. Jack fished in his pocket for his phone, not caring that water was dripping from it as he called Misato, blood trickling down his face and some from his neck. It connected and the screams from Misato just reached him as he announced the mission failure before he passed out in the river.

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I know you guys are pissed for the late update, was really really fucking busy so sorry about that. Anyway, next update is on...the 31st of August! Damn it, oh well, I can make it and it will be my apology for being so late. Now

Shout outs!

**Zenosyke**: lol, I guess you're right there, I kinda was not thinking too much into, 01 or Yui, though, sometimes it really does like 01 is acting on its own accord and not Yui's. I wouldn't say SEELE round 2 because these guys act a lot differently from SELEE and remember what I said about "know it all" characters saying what they believe when it could be wrong. I'm the author, a lot of it is your own interpretation but I guess I could spin the wheel and say no one really knows their true objective and I will never make it clear in this series. I mean, please don't view as another SELEE as SELEE did nothing until the end, just sat on their fat asses all day. They were nothing without NERV. H.I.C is different in the fact that they can fight against NERV in almost every way and they have been for the past few years.

Thanks for the review!

**Daetor:** I didn't manage to keep this deadline because I was really busy so to make it up to you you'll have the next one by the 30th with the same chapter length I normally keep. I'm glad you find me amazing, always makes me feel special when I hear such comments, I just got to work to keep that level of respect of me and I know it went down after the overly late update so sorry for that.

Hmm, well, to me; Asuka and Loroko are very different, still too early, even after this chapter, to say what he's like until you see him in a more relaxed and friendly environment. That's when you get to see more of their colours not to mention Loroko does not really have any walls up is not trying to hide a gentler side. You'll also need to know more of his past as well but that comes a bit later.

You fell for it! For starters, when the guys were talking, you did not know where they were. They could be in Greenland for all we know.He said he was a spy in NERV, but let's not forget, there is more than one branch. But saying that it could be anybody, when I was making the planning, I had the idea of one of the bridge bunnies being the spy before I decided against it. So far there is too much little information to go and it's only the third chapter you got up to and I did make sure to make it really hard to find out, plus there are more characters that need introducing.

As for the pilot being the spy...evil smile, well, like I mentioned, 02's soul only had the maternal part of Asuka's mother, the whole Kaji could be in there or only apart or several parts. The fact is not all the parts or part has to be a good part, it could be his male dominance part, his greed, envy, hate, sadness, melancholy, the list goes on and we don't know how much the Eva sees or feels or the soul sees or feels. Does it read minds or just their mood? There is a lot we don't know, a lot is just theory or stuff we fanfiction writers implement, and others take up.

Martin being the spy. I think we all get angered or foul-mouthed when we find competition for something or we get in a really bad mood. We all have subjects that will set us off and show a really bad side of ourselves. I have yet to show him in a good light, at least, enough reasons for Asuka to consider him a boyfriend. There is also the fact about hacking NERV which can only be done from the inside, so..., and Martin has a father who is a duke's Majordomo and a mother who was the first German woman to be head of a political party and he is a NERV politician. He works for NERV but not inside it, and is no way high enough to be able to access the magi. Do you know how close you have to be to enter the Magi directly apart from the other Magi's in other branches?

I agree with you on Martin being higher on the list than Martin but then again, Martin can get access to the Magi with no problem, Martin can just manage to get into the lower tiers of NERV let alone the central control room. Also, in the meeting, the H.I.C members did mention about using him and they had not made a decision until then to kill Shinji. So they're both as equally guilty.

I've made him appear like a prick because to men...and some women, he is.

Thanks for the Kensuke support, I'm trying to show more of him because you only saw him react to a few things which was generally, being happy, disappointed and a few other basics. This chapter is an example of how much more Kensuke can show and the impact he can have. I guess it would be easier to work on him now rather than the 14 year old version, mainly because I had little to go on.

YAY! There is going to be more unpredictability, with the characters you've seen so far, like Ritsuko and Maya, Toji and Asuka because I really want to try hard to expand on her without going beyond the limits.

Yeah, sorry for the lack of beta reading, not today! I have two of my friends doing it so thumbs up. Glad you think so, expansion on characters is not hard, it's just how much you want to give, so I find the best tactic is to reveal little by little instead of dumping pages worth of info on you to remember when it would be a lot easier to get snippets of information that you can digest easily.

Thanks for the review and after my next update I'll finally sit down and read your Evangelion fanfic.

**SithKnight-Galen:** Whoa...Kensuke is like Kaji...? damn, that was not what I was aiming for. Though...now that I think about it, that's a bit too quick to go on two chapters. I guess you could look at it that way, if you want, I was aiming for a best friend who's smarter or wiser, I see where you are coming from. Kensuke has a lot to show in the following chapters and this chapter kind of hints that he can get angry, though, Kaji never really got angry. I'm not too sure what Kaji's role was anyway, he did interact with Shinji but not a hell of a lot and some of it made no sense to him. The manga would be a better example of Kensuke and Kaji but you'll see Kensuke has different faults and ways he has of dealing with them instead of Kaji.

Wow, I forgot about that, well, to be honest, he's actually ranked and Ritsuko does explain it in this chapter, though, it may confuse but he has not given up his role. He's going to try to pilot Eva, that's it, he's only thought that far, which is a bit dumb but when you're staring at rosy red lips and a body to kill for, you don't always think with your big head XD.

As for being the same to SELEE?, read my reply to Zenosyke.

Thanks all for the reviews and thanks to all those who favourite me, and put me on alerts favourite author. And all you readers, this would mean nothing if you guys didn't read it, reviews are a bonus I love to answer and learn from.

Give thanks to my beta readers, **Yu and MSD **who did a truly amazing job!

Any questions or things you want me to add or not to mess up on then go ahead and ask in a review! If you want it to be more personal then just pm me.

Thanks again!

**By the way, I write in a British format, so color is colour to me, just for those who may call it a spelling mistake. I know, annoying but it won't distract too much from the story.**

See ya tomorrow


	5. Getting things straight

**Getting Things Straight**

Authors notes: I just remembered they were 14 in the anime XD, so I'm changing the time length from 4 years to 7 years as, in the story, I kept saying they are 20-21. Sorry for the confusion.

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Asuka ran down the hall as the alarms went off. This was her first real alert and her heart was racing in excitement and fear. What could have happened to issue that? NERV was not going to aid Israel, unless the U.N ordered it, and there could not possibly be an Angel crisis.

She entered the command room with wide eyes as the geography map being projected showed a small red circle on the Japanese map. It may have seemed small but in real life, down to earth, that was a very big area. "Status!" She shouted over the roaring klaxon as the bridge crew worked overtime on their terminals, it had been a long time since they had to work like this.

"A secret NERV issued operation just went sour. A bomb, being at least 100 tons just went off in Yokohama wiping out all contact with the forces. Last voice chatter transmissions indicate these guys had set it up and armed it, a last ditch effort to take us out and keep their mouths shut." Aoba said scanning over some files before closing it and responding to an incoming message.

"The JHS is ordering the immediate dispatch of hazard suits and the sectioning off of the city. JSSDF wants to know why we were there and who was responsible, we can't even tell them because we don't know ourselves!" Maya cried in frustration as she worked her fingers to handle the flow of information.

"A storm of news crews and helicopters are on their way to the scene," Makoto said, leaning to pull out a fax. "Holy shit, some of our guys are down there, injured but..."

"Maya, call an immediate no fly zone over the designated area of the explosion, close all roads and tell the JSSDF to get their men down there." She ordered with a call of acknowledgement from Maya. "Aoba, send evacuation albatrosses and medical teams once we have confirmed no lethal radiation. Makoto, get Misato on the line, and do me a favour and turn that fucking Klaxon off!" She shouted over the noise which stopped a few seconds after.

"Ma'am, Misato says she is busy at the moment. Says she'll talk to you later but right now we need to focus on sorting this mess out." Makoto said placing the phone back down as she cursed. Asuka needed answers and fast, it was only a matter of time before public relations jumped down her throat while the Government and UN chewed out Misato's. "Ikari Shinji, Kensuke Aida and Toji Suzuhara are now descending into NERV HQ and will be secure in 59 seconds, we also just got a letter from the rescue team and suits..." He added a few moments later.

"What is it?" Asuka asked leaning over Maya to sign a form that soon went back into a fax machine.

"No radioactive particles confirmed, the civilian casualties are not looking too favourable and not many of our guys made it out alive. It does state that Jack Steinbeck and five of his 10 command crew in the mobile command mobile have survived, one critical and the others stable. They're taking the NERV cargo rail number 285, they'll arrive in 34 minutes." The bridge technician read the words on the paper aloud.

"Get the BS department on the phone," Asuka ordered Maya.

She looked at Asuka slightly puzzled. "The Department on public disclosure and information?" She guessed.

"Yes, the bullshit department, I know they must have some kind of cover story planned if this operation went sour. I want it on my desk, no, in here, in the next 10 minutes as I'm the one who is going to have to cover this up." She seethed angrily.

"Asuka! What the hell is going on?" She turned to look at the three stooges walking in with Shinji's question leading them. She sighed, she did not want to deal with Shinji right now or his bastard friends.

"You'll going to have to ask Misato on that one, I've been left out of the loop as well." She almost murmured.

The group of three looked over the amount of hustle and bustle that was going on around them. Men and women shouting at each other with sheets in their hands, phones, letters, terminals. They were all in a hectic state and all trying to find out what in the hell just happened along with sorting and counteracting all the complaints and demands for answers from different organisations and groups. "Is this also something to do with the attack on Israel?" Shinji asked her. He wanted to know, he wanted to know so he could help, could do something to stop the hate and fear festering in everyone, the same emotions he was feeling in the car until Kensuke explained it clearly to him.

"I doubt we would have done anything unless it was H.I.C, at least not with this amount of secrecy. They either knew we were coming for them or were planning to set the bomb off all along. At this point it doesn't matter, what matters is the aftermath and how we deal with it. This wouldn't really be a problem if _some_ people trusted me more." She told him in a half-informing-half-ranting tone.

"Why are you so upset, aren't we always left out of the loop?" He asked questioningly while Toji and Kensuke winced at him.

Asuka snapped around like a snake and jabbed a finger in his chest. "You're a pilot, he's a pilot and he's an undercover spy!" She shouted up at his face as she pointed to Kensuke and Toji with her other hand. "I'm more than that, I'm a NERV tactical operations Captain, a Captain, Shinji. The least I deserve, after fighting through backlash and shit from others to get this job, is some respect and trust. Unlike you, who was just given the job because he asked with no actual qualifications, I had to work myself ragged every night, every hour. It took Misato years to get this position and me a lot of cramming and some recommendations. Of course I'm upset if my own commanding fucking officer-"

"Commander on deck!" Kurokari roared over the noise and they all turned to look at him and Misato. Toji, Kensuke and a few others, saluted while Shinji and Asuka did not. Shinji because he did not know he had to and Asuka because she was very angry. Kurokari walked up to Asuka like an imposing tower ready to give judgement down on those unworthy. "I'm going to let this slide...once, but the next time you'll be spending sometime in a detention cell for questioning your commanding officers position and indirectly encouraging a revolt." He told her before stepping away, Asuka's face and attitude had calmed down a little after that.

Misato stepped forward, not showing any sign she heard Asuka as she ascended onto the supreme command observation floor and quickly took a seat. Shinji thought Misato was hurt and also sorry at the same time, however, he could understand not showing any emotions while in the face of her staff. She needed to look calm and collected at all times when formal and in control.

"I have handled the situation with the UN and Japanese government. For everyone's information, we had to make sure there were absolutely no leaks, the decision had nothing to do with trust. It had everything to do with safety and I admit even that was not guaranteed." She said the last part slightly quieter but the entire operations command room could still hear her words through the speakers. "However, we did manage to uncover some information and documents, and from this day forth, NERV is going into stage cluster 6!" She called and every speaker in NERV heard the call.

Shinji looked around at the long silence and noticed that Toji's mouth was wide open, Kensuke had a clenched jaw and Asuka's anger was gone and had been replaced with a wide blank stare.

Movement.

Makoto turned and started typing furiously on his terminal and it was like a key turning on the engine of a car as _everyone_ went into a chaotic frenzy. Some sat in their seats blankly while others shouted down phones and started making calls. Kensuke pulled out his cell and started to ring his wife while Toji did something similar, Shinji stood in the middle doing nothing before turning to Asuka who was looking up at Misato.

He moved into her view making her recoil in surprise as she was brought back from her daze. "What the hell?" He asked very confused and shocked as he gestured to the people around him, they looked like a mass of people who had heard they were about to get nuked. Asuka sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as she thought.

_That damn expression!_ He groaned to himself as she thought beautifully.

"Well, stage cluster 6 is a status every NERV employee has to follow. It means that something with around the power of Evas or Angels are being developed actively against us. That would be cluster 5, 6 is when they already have been developed and could invade at any time. Cluster 6 starts off a chain of things, like the withdrawal of NERV families into NERV living quarters for safety, hence all the phone calls to family members." She pointed to Toji and Kensuke. "It also means the activation of sleeping components." She said turning to send a prepared message to Martin.

"Components?" He asked as his mind went to Maria and Rodriguez.

"Yes, like NERV has an army ready, they're all sleeper cells, so captains, units, squadrons, brigades and so on that are affiliated to us will start getting calls to move to Japan. They'll all be settled in a base we finished a few months ago on the believed to be abandoned and radioactive Oki islands." She said pulling up a map of the Oki Islands on the huge holographic map.

He could see a picture of 9 islands, 4 of them big compared to the small, minor 5. He remembered in class a long time ago the teacher talking about there being 16 Islands before second impact wiped 7 of them into fragments of what they used to be. "Isn't that place a dumping ground for nuclear warheads and the disappearance of many ships and planes?" He asked recalling some news about it a few years ago and it being called a no fly zone.

He frowned as Asuka burst into laughter. "Those were supply vessels and military ships along with a bunch of aircraft we ordered secretly to go there. We needed direct supplies to build machines to harness the earth's natural resources not too mention to have equipment and vehicles already there before construction plants were created. Anything that ever went missing in that area was all planned." She giggled, this was the first time she had spoken to anyone who did not know the plan and it was gratifying to slam that in Shinji's face.

"Surely some government would have picked it up on their satellite...unless," He began

"Yep, all hacked or already ours, not too mention the area has digital vision jamming so no electronic, unless given a certain frequency, can see it. It is one of our biggest and most kept secrets, which will change now that military forces from all over the world start to gather. In small numbers with prepared excuses to their commanding officers to leave. Flight plans are already activating. Right now planes and other aircraft have changed flight logs and begun to prepare for an influx of soldiers from all over the world, all catalogued and designated." She said with some pride, knowing that she was part of such an amazing organisation as NERV. Believing that Shinji's shocked expression was not enough to fill her ego she decided to lay down one more fact to him. "It was me who made the initial plans for it and was my pitch that got me this position." Shinji's mouth gaped as his eyes widened that much more in shock. She drowned in the attention for a while before turning her gaze to the bridge staff who were still in conversation with their families.

Shinji was faultlessly shocked, this woman, Asuka, was not who he remembered. He knew she was smart as she regularly helped him with homework back in the day. Petty things like that, but now that she was a Captain, he was beginning to see more and more things she could accomplish, things he had never seen before. It made him wonder if what he knew about her was still true, hell, did he even know her that well. Truth be told, he probably could only say he knew Asuka personally for littler than a year in terms of living close to her. He was also seeing why this would cause a problem between them. How long had she known Martin, or any other guy? Was he just someone from the past to her, or something more? Actually...she had never called him her friend...ever.

_Damn it!_

"Shinji-san, come up here for a moment," was the order from Kurokari. Shinji glanced up and then back at Asuka who he caught turning away from him. He sighed, not too happy with his thoughts as he made his way to the small lift up to the supreme command post.

"Yes?" He asked, noticing Misato was on the phone to someone and was speaking gravely.

"Jack-san was involved in the blast." immediately Shinji's heart thumped at that. True he only knew Jack for a few weeks but over those weeks Shinji felt he developed a friendship with the man. To hear that something might have happened to him was impacting, he just hoped it was nothing too bad, if he had survived. "Thankfully he survived with some major blood loss and a broken leg." Kurokari continued as if he was discussing the weather.

"You sound as if it's not a big problem," Shinji said slightly nervous, he would have thought major blood loss and a broken leg would be quite bad.

"We're NERV, we can almost raise the dead, not too mention what could have happened to him is a lot worse than what he has now, don't you agree?" at that Shinji nodded and turned to look over the slowly settling chaos and then over to Misato who was juggling three phones.

"Is she okay?" He asked in concern over his former guardian.

"Fine, these days Misato is ready for any repercussions that comes her way. You just have to get used to it." Was his easy reply.

"Everyone has been saying that, I feel like I'm never going to fit in." He confided in Kurokari, thinking the man as some kind of elder that could provide any answer to his problem.

"I know how that feels." Was his response and Shinji looked him over with a inquiring eye. "I was young too, you know?" He chuckled and Shinji smiled back. "I wanted to join the army as soon as possible, help protect the world from anything that could go wrong. After so much training I became a captain at the age of 22, the year was so awesome until the day of second impact. We lost so much in such a short time, I spent more time organising the shipment of relief efforts and supplies than fighting an enemy."

"Then how did you become a sub-commander?" Shinji asked, his curiosity over Kurokari that was boiling inside of him coming out with the given opportunity.

"I ranked up to a tank commander, sounds petty and when you saw your guys doing little to nothing against the enemy, it showed you how petty you were. Generally we had to wait before we got attacked or the monsters didn't care and walked passed us. Either way was none to gratifying." He grimaced and Shinji was again struck by another person. He was a pilot and generally never saw or spoke to the men on the battlefield, a lot of the time he would be launched when they were defeated or close to it.

He looked down in shame. "I'm sorry, I never realised how hard it was for you, or any of the soldiers. It was just-" He began awkwardly.

"Shinji, you've heard this before as well." He inhaled and breathed out, "I, nor any of my comrades, would have made it through that war and be here, today, if it was not thanks to you and the other pilots. Every time an Eva came out my superiors would be annoyed but my pals would be joyous. We knew the deal and we knew the costs but we felt we had helped a little, even if it only gave you a few seconds, to us, all that ammo and effort was worth every millisecond. My only regret was not finding away to convince my superiors not to attack NERV on that dreadful day." He sighed and Shinji nodded.

No one in NERV, who was there before impact, could not say they did not feel betrayed by JSSDF and the U.N. Of course, they could understand they were just men following orders, they all had been played by their superiors. It was not easy but they had managed a cease fire after rebirth but it was one hell of a battle that had gone down in history. Shinji had been totally against piloting, for a lack of reasons, living being one of them.

"Anyway, Ikari-san," Kurokari said bringing them both away from their thoughts. "I have a little job for you..."

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Asuka was busy cooking a meal as Hikari had come over once the huge amount of NERV staff families started to migrate over to NERV HQ interior housing complex. Misato had made her retire as NERV had stabilised and the majority of staff were seeing to their families and many of the staff were on a 8 hour break.

Not really accepting of the dismissal but needing sometime to organise and relax her brain, Asuka did not put up a fight but was annoyed to see Shinji go somewhere she was not informed of. He was doing it again, just him being around her was getting under her skin, anything and everything he did was something she thought she had a right to know.

She shook her head knowing that dead feelings were trying to rise, feelings she had never truly stamped down. So, she could admit to using Martin for that cause, Hikari did not approve and Martin had figured it out at some point, working his ass off to be more than a replacement. She could understand why he was being so snappy and hostile lately. Martin did not like rivals, at least ones he could not defeat easily, and Shinji's very presence could be powerful enough to invoke Asuka's attention from Martin to him. She supposed it was her own fault, she never tried to show off or make Martin notice her, unlike Shinji, who was naturally dense and hard to attract when you wanted to attract him, Martin was attracted to her like every other guy in the world, the only difference was he managed to beat the rest of the competition.

Shinji was a man who was denser than a 4 km block of compressed metal. She could strip naked in front of him and he would look away embarrassed, she could probably call to him to look and he still wouldn't. She even thought he was gay at one point before she chalked it up to his latent abilities to desire the opposite sex to perverted heights. It was only now that she noticed he was staring at her, something she always helped in encouraging and something she never did to Martin.

But saying that, Shinji was not as competitive as Martin and could relate to Asuka in many ways while Shinji did not have a human on earth to relate to. She found him asking the dumbest of questions that even her mind had trouble dealing with. She wondered about that a lot but some how knew it was because he used to be so shy, no one knew how smart he really was. She had pleasantly found out about his cello playing when coming home a long time ago. Martin was a stable man with many musical talents and an awesome singing voice and a tempest of qualifications and recommendations that made him the most wanted man in Germany.

Not too mention Shinji had been emotionally unborn at the time and had little to no experience with anyone apart from his teacher, a fact that infuriated Asuka.

A knock on the door pulled Asuka out of her thoughts and she quickly placed the bubbling lamb leg in the oven, knowing it had been on for three hours already and one more hour would have it very easy to chew.

She took off her mitts but kept her apron on which read 'Worship the cook'. She pressed a button at the sliding door and it slid open to present Hikari who quickly stepped in with a shiver. Asuka could feel the chill of the corridors and quickly slid the door shut. She turned to Hikari who had rushed into the kitchen to check on all the food, a common habit of Hikari's and one Asuka was not offended by at all. "How is it out there?" She said wanting to start conversation up, she wanted to forget about Shinji for now.

"Awful, never seen it this packed for a looong time." She answered as she checked the vegetables before leaning down to open the oven to check on the potatoes, lamb, duck and stake. "The roads are packed for at least ten miles, the civilians want in; out of panic, but telling them to turn around is hard enough and is taking up a lot of time. My sister won't be getting her car in until tomorrow, the earliest." she answered adding some thyme to the steak.

"You better not mess up the food Hikari, and how many people are we feeding? You said Nozomi was bringing her meals as well once they were cooked." Was Asuka's demand as she folded her arms over her breasts.

"Well, it's mostly because of Toji and Aida and Ikari-kun-" She began before a shout came from Asuka that sounded like a screech.

"WHAT!"

Leaning back from the cooking food and nodding to herself in acceptance of quality, Hikari turned to Asuka with a sheepish grin. "I thought it would be nice if we were altogether, it's a shame Katsuragi-san could not come." Hikari sighed as she thought of Pen-pen.

"No way, Hikari, you could have told me before you made the arrangement." Asuka seethed as she moved to the fridge to pull out some bottled water. Drinking some down her neck, sending a cooling sensation through her neck and head, Asuka rubbed her temples before going into her room with Hikari close behind. "We better get ready," She groaned as she looked in her wardrobe and began to fling things onto the bed.

Hikari was right beside her as the two did not mind sharing clothing, apart from underwear. Though it was just a reunion, Asuka and Hikari felt they needed to look very well dressed for such an occasion. "Toji doesn't like me dressing up." Hikari moaned to her friend while Asuka chuckled.

"Why's that?" She asked already knowing the answer.

"He says women only dress up to attract guys and why would I need to dress up now that he was my man? Honestly, we women might want to dress up to look good and feel good about ourselves a little once in a while." Hikari huffed with giggles from Asuka quickly making her giggle as well.

"Men are basic creatures, like dogs, you need to keep them on a leash as long as you provide the basic things that will make them happy. Sex, food, women be sexually exploitative, and when they call we come. But because of that simplicity they are easy to manage and to predict, like Toji." She added with a smile and Hikari frowned before smiling.

"But some can be unpredictable and influential while sticking to that basic nature, just like Shinji-san." She struck back, causing Asuka to turn her head to look at her grinning friend.

"Sie geworben," She replied back before they returned to gathering the appropriate clothing. They laid the clothes on the bed and Hikari brought out her own bag of clothes she left earlier. They started to get changed to see what clothes they would go with, thinking nothing of changing to nudity in front of each other.

"I think I'm picking up after Toji," Hikari said worriedly. Asuka turned to look her ffriend over to find Hikari looking at her belly in only her underwear and bra. Bending a little, Asuka got a closer look, before nodding. To an untrained male eye, there would be nothing there out of average or fit, However, a females could pick out everything.

"Just a little, nothing but veg for you tonight, and a little bit of fish." She replied before turning and picking up a blue dress before turning back round at Hikari's gasp. "What's wrong?"

"You wear T-strings!?" She called out in surprise while Asuka looked down at the black T-string before shrugging. "And they're silk too!"

"Satin, cotton makes me chafe, and who cares if I'm wearing one, it makes me feel more fresh. Not too mention T strings are becoming all the rage these days. Surprised you don't have any, it would be really good for seducing Toji." Asuka said behind her mouth as she hid her giggles from Hikari's reddening face.

"I-I-I need to check the food on the stove." She said walking away in only her pink undergarments. Asuka calmed down and put on the blue dress before throwing it away and picking up a yellow one. Her skin was not very dark and red heads and yellow dresses were a taboo, a fact she learned when looking at pictures of herself in it. Opting, instead, for a green Chinese evening dress with an open back, and a slit from the thigh to show some leg.

Hikari came back and they quickly swapped rolls as she dressed in a dark blue evening dress. She kept her hair long and flowing as she had made it grow in the past two years and had got it cut a little recently until it went down to mid back.

A knock on the door a bit later had them checking themselves before opening the door to the three stooges. Kensuke bowed his head to the women and greeted them while they nodded back, always impressed by his chivalry and politeness to the opposite sex before moving passed to let Toji in who was dressed in a plain white shirt and khaki pants. He looked Hikari up and down and made a deliberate growl towards her and she blushed and looked away while patting him to move on.

Shinji came next in an all black shirt with red cuffs and black slacks, a few top buttons undone and smelling of the most desirable aftershave the two had ever smelled. He ducked his head as he walked passed while he greeted the pair, obviously nervous and being talked into coming. They looked at one another before Hikari closed the door and they entered the main room, Hikari batting Toji away from the food simmering in the kitchen and into the living room. "You look devilishly seductive today, Asuka. Hikar-" Kensuke began his introduction to conversation.

"Not a word..." Toji whispered and Hikari sighed in annoyance.

"You're looking beautiful, Hikari-san." Shinji said not seeing his friends anger directed towards him as Hikari blushed and nodded. Asuka scowled at him like he had just killed her mother. "What did I do?" He whispered to Kensuke on his left. He had thought Asuka would have been happy for Shinji giving Hikari a truthful comment about how she looked, not angry.

Kensuke just shook his head as he tried a different path. "Have you seen the traffic to get in here? I had to get my wife air lifted into the NERV elevator, to the Geo-front and then again to get her into NERV and through registration." He blew out, expressing his stress with a heave.

"Air lifted...you can get your family ever lifted?" Hikari asked Kensuke before looking at Toji who nodded as if everyone in the world knew and she did not.

"Yeah, my sister got air lifted once they knew she was my sister, I got them to get you in and it's not like it took you a lot of time to get in anyway, what's the problem?" He asked as Asuka asked for drinks. "Pepsi, thanks." He said ignoring the groan from Kensuke. Asuka did not even bother asking Shinji as she walked out.

"My sisters could have been registered here ages ago, Kodama wouldn't be stuck in traffic right now." She replied dejectedly as she felt upset for her sister. Toji looked at Shinji for help who was still looking at the door Asuka had left through, he looked passed Shinji to Kensuke who nodded.

"No worries, Hikari-san, just make Toji call up and then they'll direct her to a NERV staff parking lot and there you go, and the road there is clear so no worries." Kensuke added while passing Toji the phone. Toji looked at it stupidly for a second before slowly looking up at the two. Kensuke took back the phone, hit the speed dial and passed it back. Asuka came back in with the drinks, having only four and leaving Shinji out as he looked at her in annoyance. She returned the look with a smirk and a twinkle in her eyes, she mentally cheered herself for getting a reaction out of him, _welcome to my world, you bastard_. She thought evilly.

"So, Shinji-san," Hikari started, moving his attention from Asuka to her and the rest. "How are you adapting back into Tokyo-3's pace and culture?"

Shinji smiled and leaned forward, gulping in thirst before answering her. "It's very different, or maybe I'm different which makes the general experience different. I think that has something do with me being an adult rather than a minor, as that can really effect how people see you and how much responsibility and freedom you have. I guess I was never exposed to the city life, which has become ten times more chaotic than before. The amount of people walking around Tokyo-3 is mind blowing but thankfully the higher tier district is a lot more quieter." He engaged feeling glad to finally be able to lay down his thoughts. It was great thinking about it all and using information when needed, but it really helped to tell others, share the good points and bad points.

"How about Rio Grande Do Sul?" She asked as she sipped her orange juice. Toji got up as he began to yell down the phone, exiting the room to save everyone ear ache.

"Well, it's a lot different than here, it's a really relaxed and has a..." His hand circled for a moment as he thought of the word to best describe what he was trying to say. "Like everyone acts like they're family, all united and helping, saying hello or good day to a stranger is nothing over there. They're so trusting and you just feel safe. It's nice a breezy place over there, I was fortunate enough to live close to many Eco-regions, which are like forests and waterfalls , a lot of animal life as well." He described with a far off look.

"Did you manage to get a girlfriend there?" Hikari asked causing Asuka to turn her head and look at her friend.

"Well, uh-" He began, stopping as Asuka whipped her head around and stared at him with an awesome intense venom that Shinji had never seen before. "N-no, not really, I could not tell if it was genuine or not or if they just wanted me for my status." He replied, his eyes looking away from Asuka as he asked for a drink.

Hikari began to get up but Asuka waved her down and glared at Shinji a bit longer before going in the kitchen to get him some raspberry juice. Toji walked back in with a pissed expression. "They'll be air lifting her car in soon." He stated as he sat down on the floor to the right of Shinji.

"Was there a problem?" Hikari asked with growing concern.

Toji roughly sipped his pepsi and hissed. "This slag on the phone would not allow for her air lift, couldn't believe I was arguing with her. Eventually I got the manager and managed to sort it out but I hope that bitch is getting a pay cut. Fucking unbelievable..." He answered with a thoughtfully dark expression on her face as Asuka came in and placed the glass in front of Shinji. Toji glanced over at Shinji as everyone else seemed to be doing the same.

Shinji looked at them and then picked up his glass to sip it. He raised an eyebrow for a moment before nodding his head and drinking more, finishing it quickly. He let out a breath of refresh and looked up in surprise as Asuka took his glass out to refill it again, pleased with his reaction to her home-made fresh juice.

"What the..., anyway, what were you guys talking about while I was gone." Toji asked, turning his eyes from the retreating Asuka as he moved further away from his boys and patted his lap for Hikari to sit on. She blushed but took the offer and moved over to sit on his lap. Toji wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled back into his arms with a low moan of content. Shinji looked on with a smile, proud of his friends and how far they had come in their relationships over the past seven years.

A pat on the back from Kensuke made him look at the man before nodding his thanks as Asuka walked in with another glass. He looked her over, his minds eye visualising the two of them in the same position as Toji and Hikari were, a fantasy he was going to do everything in his power to accomplish.

"Well?" Toji asked just as Asuka caught him staring at her.

"OH! Well, yeah, just talking about Rio Grande Do Sul and how life was. Did I mention I was a qualified potter and sculptor, actually," He had forgotten to mention and everyone quickly voiced their surprise even Asuka was surprised by the news.

"Really!? Oh awesome, that must take a lot of skill." Toji exclaimed.

"That's amazing, Ikari-kun, my mother has a friend who is a potter and I have seen how much work it takes to make even one pot." Hikari threw in her two cents.

"I concur Shinji, excellent job. I guess we all have been learning new things and professions. I'm very happy for you and hope to see some of you work in the future." Kensuke also congratulated.

Shinji tried to bite down a blush. He wanted to get that out of the way as well, he did not want to blush as much as he did, he was 20 years old and blushing should have been past him by now. "W-" His head shot up a Asuka began to speak, the others also stared at her in a silent and tense atmosphere, not daring to break it with even a single breath.

Asuka narrowed her eyes at all the gazes locked on her before turning them to Shinji. _Look at you, like a dog hanging off my every word._ She thought to herself before opening her mouth. "Well done, Shinji." Was all she said but the impact was felt and Shinji blushed, then and smiled at her, beaming in delight.

Toji patted Shinji's back and gave him a thumbs up while Hikari got off him to check the food, Asuka in her wake leaving a glance on Shinji before helping to gather plates and cutlery. "See, Shinji, things are progressing quite nicely." Kensuke leaned over to say, a calm smile on his face with a hint of an "I told you so" edge to it.

"That's what I'm talking about, Shinji, now you need to show her how to do that pottery stuff and be sure to flex as well. Your tan will really help to show off your muscles, trust me, I know." He chipped in, nodding with a devious smile on his face while rubbing his scar.

Shinji took his glass of raspberry juice and stared at it, _Asuka made this_...He blinked, wow, he was really falling for her, he was falling hard, and hard meant obvious. He was going to have to be more discreet, you did not want to come on too strong or they may feel you are rushing things, at least that was what he had read in a magazine. He drank the raspberry juice, spirits high and feeling on top of the world.

Of course, this went all to hell when a knock on the door and a cry of "Martin!" from Asuka's lips shattered Shinji's mood. Shinji rubbed his face while Toji grimaced at the name that was called. "There are many ways to deal with rivals, Shinji, I learned getting dirt on them could be exceedingly effective." Kensuke whispered and Shinji moved his hand away from his face in surprise. He had thought Kensuke more of a gentlemen now with high morales and a caring and understanding nature, obviously he had missed out a lot in his analysis.

Kensuke stood up and walked over to the door as Martin entered, looking smug and perfect, untouchable and elegant. The two shook hands, equals to equals, Shinji could only guess they had a mutual understanding of some kind. "Steinbeck, long time no speak, I'm hoping Darlington is not trying to kick you out of court." Kensuke began a conversation with the man.

Martin was giving Shinji a silent, unemotional look and Shinji was doing the exact same. Kensuke's question gave Martin an excuse to break the gaze he had held. "Well, the old man does have a lot of influence, his daughter having cured a sexually transmitted disease. With those kinds of support the old bastard will be hard to either push back or gain favour from. He despises my father for getting my mother before him and leaving the slimy old bastard to that hag from Berlin." Martin answered with a smile which changed into a chuckle Kensuke also shared as they sat down on a table separate from Toji.

Shinji turned to Toji and mouthed a three word question. "Kensuke and Martin are friends, to a degree, love talking politics as Kensuke used to work directly for the Japanese government for a year and a half before giving it up for NERV. Though, Kensuke does not like his attitude in general and rarely goes out of his way to speak to the guy." Toji whispered, shaking his can finding it empty.

Shinji looked over the two before turning his eyes up as there was another knock on the door. He listened in as Asuka opened the door with a "That's a lot of food!" followed by a call for Toji and Shinji to help bring in the utensils and dishes. Toji mumbled something about this being a woman's job.

"I heard that!" Hikari and Asuka said at the same time causing Toji to lower his head as if he was about to get hit. Shinji chuckled as they got utensils and dishes and began to lay them out across the table in Asuka's dinning room. On the way they said hi to Nozomi who had cooked up a delicious assortment of foods in Hikari's single floor NERV personnel room.

The men got seated on the table, all of the males were to sit on the right, knife and fork as Asuka and Hikari wanted to make a more westernised meal than what they usually made or had to eat. Shinji was seated with his back facing the entrance to the room with Toji, Kensuke and Martin branching off to his left. The three women entered the room with hot plates of food, Duck, lamb, Steak, fish, pork as the main areas of meat with a large assortment of other side meats and bowls filled with salads and vegetables. Once everything was placed and ready, the ladies sat down to look at the men who were staring at the food as if it had the knowledge to eternal happiness in their taste.

Kensuke would eat the less as he was not a very muscular man, Martin did lift some weights but only enough to keep his build. Asuka and Hikari had cooked specifically for Toji and Shinji in mind as they had the most weight and muscle mass. Toji's athlete physique demanded at least 10,000 calories minimum a day or so Hikari had averaged out. Shinji was not as bulky as Toji but he was big enough to make a lamb specifically for him. Asuka had spent hours worrying about the texture and how soft she wanted the meat to be, not exactly knowing Shinji would come, the herbs and gravy along with thickness and amount. When Hikari had told her, almost an hour ago, that Shinji was coming, she had rushed around to check the lamb and increased the amount of attention she paid to it.

Bottles of champaign and red wine were placed on the table and Martin took the honour of pouring the ladies and his own before leaving the other males to do their own. Once fully prepared and ready to get this food in there stomachs, the men looked at Hikari for permission.

Hikari patted Asuka's shoulder and Asuka nodded with a smile. "You may dig in," She sighed as they went to work.

"Schweine,"

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It was 1 AM when Toji and Hikari had finally left, Toji was smashed and had to be helped out by Martin and Hikari as he was quite heavy. Nozomi and Kensuke had left a long time ago as Kensuke promised to be in his one floor house at 11 and Kodama had called in explaining she was in the NERV HQ interior dorms facility and needed help unpacking and such.

So now Shinji and Asuka were left to clean up the dishes and table, something Shinji was mentally jumping to joy with as Martin had not looked pleased when ordered to take Toji back. He needed to remember this, this may be a way for him to spend more time with Asuka without the interference from someone such as Martin.

Asuka was washing dishes when Shinji brought in the final set of plates and placed them down on the work surface before leaning back to yawn. " I see those muscles aren't all but just air," Asuka commented, hands busy scrubbing gravy off one dish before getting rid of any other small parts, cleaning it over again and rinsing it off with a critical eye before placing it in the dish rack.

"Hmm," Shinji replied, not feeling as energetic as usual. It had been a very busy and mind blowing day, he felt like he had just thought a battle with three Angels. His eyes wondered over Asuka's form, the apron made her look like a perfect mother material, something his body naturally desired, an image of Asuka with dozens of children around her and him being the father had suddenly flashed into his mind. He welcomed it, explored it, and drowned in it. A lot of males he had talked to had expressed their want for children and the large number they desired, a feeling Shinji was now experiencing. He chalked it up to natural reproduction responses, however, he was fully giving himself into making the idea real. Most of the time families did not have many children because of financial support and time management. She and Shinji could afford anything, even a thousand children, and it's not like he and Asuka would have to work later on in the future.

"You seem very happy, what are you thinking about?" Asuka's voice was not tense or hold any undercurrents of other emotions. Shinji did not tense, he answered calmly, a rare joy.

"About a happy future for us...together" The stopping of clatter from the sink made Shinji snap open his eyes to look at Asuka who was staring at him wide eyed. Foe some reason, this felt like a showdown to Shinji, Asuka glanced at the door, Shinji glanced at the door before looking back into her eyes. "Wait...!" He called as she made a run for the door, Shinji was quicker and stood in front of it, blocking her escape. "Wait, Asuka, let me explain, we...uh-u-I-" He tried

"No, shut up, Shinji! Don't even think about it!" She screamed at him, her breathing becoming quicker.

"You're thinking abut it too, we've been acting all...you know! I think we should be honest and tell each other." He had a chance and now he had to keep pushing on it, keep widening the crack in her defences, if anyone knew how to lower Asuka's defences, even to the point of not knowing he was doing it, it was Shinji Ikari.

"I'm not in love with you or attracted to you at all, fuck of-"

"Bullshit!" was his quick comeback.

"Fine, I-I...wait, no, fuck you, I don't _have_ to be attracted to you, you egotistical prick." Was her defending blow.

"Too bad, Asuka, you already are, you think I have not noticed the looks or heard the things you say about me, even when I'm not around? Drop the defences and open up, this was what you wanted, for me to help you, be near you, hold you. I want to do that." He admitted, telling a secret they had kept between them on the thoughts they had seen of one another during instrumentality.

"Go fuck yourself, Shinji, I don't want you to!" She said, slashing at him with her nails as he approached. He hesitated, not wanting to have the wrong interpretation on how to handle this. Leave well enough alone and the two never talk about this again, end his dreams of a future and everything they wanted to be but couldn't because she was afraid? Or, step the-fuck-up and take it like a _man_ should, hold her regardless of what she says, help her in what she needs the most.

_I mustn't run away,_

_I mustn't run away!_

_I mustn't run away!_

He hissed as she scratched his face before winding his strong arms around her, placing his head on top of hers as she fought him, scratching, kicking, landing a nasty ball burster in between his legs, and even biting. He clenched his teeth and just held her as she screamed at him. "Let me go! Let me go, Shinji, I swear I'll rip your balls off, grind it up into a soup and feed it you through a needle into your veins. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck yooou! Just let me go Shinji..." She sniffed "please..., please," Shinji just rubbed his head on hers as she whimpered her cries of release from a hold she needed but did not want. Her cries hurt Shinji, it felt like the sound a chick calling to its mother as a predator stalked it and one its wings were broken.

Her sobs made him wrap his arms around her tighter. He felt her hands move from his chest, where they were used to try and push away from him, now they moved up to wrap around his neck. "You don't deserve this from me, not after you left us, left me to fend for myself." She spoke through sniffles and a shaking lip, she was trying her hardest not to break down into a mess.

"No one is deserving of you Asuka, you're too fragile, too good to be true. I wanted to be with you but, back then, I was so emotionally weak, I couldn't handle you or your problems. I proved that with how I treated you when you were comatose or the time on the beach. I didn't deserve Tokyo-3. They deserved better, I thought you deserved better, a better life, a better man, a better everything. I felt my place was somewhere else, I met people and learned to deal with things I could never deal with here. I grew emotionally, I understood what you needed but all those conferences still stung." He replied sadly.

"You weren't there!" she cried as she hit his chest with her hand.

"I know, it still hurt though. I had to become more emotionally stable and to be ale to handle a lot of things that I would need to survive. I'm not going to lie to you and say that was the reason for me leaving, to get better for just you, I wanted to be a better person, I wanted to feel stronger in myself. I was only on my 17th birthday, that I then realised that very reason." They both sunk to the floor as he rubbed his face into her hair with his hand coming up to stroke her flame coloured head. "I'm not going to say I love you, I want to but I want to make sure I know you, the new you, more. I'm not going to be selfish and tell you to be my girlfriend, I do hope you recognise my unvoiced feelings for you." He whispered.

"What are you saying?" she said with a choke.

"I'm your friend first Asuka, I want to see you happy, and right now, you may be sad, but, after this, you'll be able to look at me more, feel more comfortable around me, or so I hope. So please, Asuka, trust in me...lean on me, rely on me whenever you want, I'll always be here for you, I'll always protect you, I swear I will, I swear it." He said the last part so softly even he had trouble hearing it.

Asuka did break down at that point. Her emotions coalescing like a rain cloud before expelling its devastating amount in the form of Asuka's tears. Years of pent up want, fights, pain, hate, despair, jealousy, fear and love poured out of Asuka as she cried, crying out like a mother who had just lost her child. Her screams of "Don't leave me," and Shinji's reassurance filling the room for countless minutes, each second seeming like a year. The power of raw emotions coming from Asuka brought Shinji to tears, but he kept his vocal composure even as he sniffled.

He was not sure where this revelation would put them, how it would affect everyone around them or the lives they lived now, the future that was coming every second or the present that could go anywhere. Either way, Shinji knew one thing, the only thing that he gave a damn about at this moment in time;

Asuka and Shinji had finally connected.

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Not a bad chapter? Hope I got the emotions out right, so hard to work with as Asuka never even comes close to crying like this.

It's actually quite hard to make a scenario based 7 years from the anime...I have to really think about what is Shinji and what is Asuka, how they would do things as adults and not kids, what they've accomplished over the years and how they have strengthened themselves. Then you have to put all that into context and figure out the best way they would react to a situation given all the above information.

The hardest part in this was the little dinner party, as I had a little writers block as I don't generally try to write another chapter the next day from my previous one. I wrote the last scene out naturally as my story plan gave me a list of things I should cover.

I'm really tired as I started this at 7 PM yesterday and now it's 08:34 AM and now 11:03 AM after checking this through as there is no beta for this. I need my Z's after this. No beta either so sorry for that, I promised Daetor that I would get this out by the 31st and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

**Shout outs!**

**SithKnight-Galen**: Thanks for that, I used to be a real action freak and still am, but these days I realise the character development comes first and the battles can slowly follow. I always criticise myself for leaving too many people out but you always eventually realise that even if you did cover everyone to an equal amount, the amount of text and how much people will have to remember is ridiculous. So, for me, I planned out a key to show how may stars a character has each chapter and that tells me roughly how much depth I need to put in them. I'm still mainly disappointed in Toji, manga Toji would be good to work with but anime Toji has a set amount to him, he's a very basic guy, even for a guy. I admit I don't think as much as I should when I write with Toji, I think that has a lot to do with the interest of the story and what roles he plays and who they affect and how. I agree with him getting others killed by questioning everything or doing and not thinking. He indirectly let Asuka die because of it.

**Daetor:** I thought you were going to chew my ass off, lol. Glad you agree with the short burst approach, it also stretches out the story and makes you follow it more closely when you give short amounts.

I'm also glad you believe Kensuke is walking in his own shoes, I always try to make sure the characters are changed without following the older generation unless they have role models.

More Loroko later. Yeah, no other way would make sense to me, at least not at the start of the NGE series and how little they knew about Evangelion so I just had to go on, the episode where the pilots are naked and are trying some experiments in the simulation bodies as Asuka expresses how her body feels.

Shinji understands his father's methods and reasons, however, he does not approve of them. As for the whole Toji being the pilot and 03...he had to be the pilot anyway as at the time there were suggestions only mothers could be the soul for Eva's and there were many indications, specifically in the episode before 03 heads to Japan.

That line was really hard to come up with, I had to work my ass off to think of something that was not out of the bounds of Shinji's character while coming up with a comment that would also be funny to the readers.

Ah, the soul issue. It's umm..., to be honest, it's confirmed, it is Kyoko's maternal soul in there. There are various indications to suggest the rest of the soul was put in after the mother's death, though how that is possible with a body which is dead and thus produces no At field is beyond me. I can't say it's even possible to function at all with a missing part of your soul. You can tell that Kyoko is trying to compensate for lacking the maternal part of her soul as she gets a doll and calls it her daughter.

As for SELEE killing her...the creator himself said she committed suicide so..., not too mention we don't know where and what type of hospital it is. I do agree about the rope issue but I don't recall it being specifically a rope and not an IV line or something like that. As for doing it without being caught. Well, Asuka's father/Kyoko's husband was busy boning the nurse who was taking care of Kyoko in the observation room through the one way mirror. Sick motherfucker.

Humans without souls don't move. They're either dead of liquefied to LCL. I guess they can breath at the maximum but even those were clones. An Evangelion can not move without a soul, neither can any Angel, so it's very doubtful Kyoko had no soul. She would have to be in a coma or have little to no brain activity, an empty vessel, not one wanting to look after her daughter because she had devoted too much time to her research.

Don't get me wrong Daetor, I understand where you are going and I appreciate the fact you are trying to keep my story as cannon based as possible, however, I research my ass off if I'm not sure about something. I'm sure you can appreciate that NGE fans will eat you alive if you fuck up a fact once and you always need to be on top. If it is not confirmed then I don't use it or else I work around it. Such as bringing back unit 00...had no idea who the soul was and Rei had no mother so that proves a mother is not exactly needed. Okay, proves is a bit strong, enforces.

One more thing, I did hear someone say only a 14 year old could technically pilot Eva's...in the series, going on her date of birth and birthday, she's 13. Which is why I changed the four year jump to 7 as at the end of Evangelion I kept thinking Asuka as a 16 year old not 13. That must sting the doujin community, oh well. Hope you enjoy!

Next chapter will be out on September the 20th as I'll be quite busy until the 18th. Thanks fir your time in reading this.

I love you all, please review!


	6. Linguistic Skills

**Linguistic Skills**

"...I understand what you are saying, however, your branches have holes and leaks. I know it, they know it, you know it. The bottom line is, chairman; we could not run the risk of informing your people of the terrorist, lest we wanted the mission to go FUBAR." Misato said with a straight face.

The date was August 11th 2023 and Misato was currently seated in a U.N meeting with other leaders of the world. It seemed they had wanted a formal face to face conversation about the events that had transpired no less than two days ago. The day the U.S military attacked Israel without presidential consent.

"But I do believe it did go FUBAR even without alerting us of the terrorist movements." a U.N official added.

Misato shrugged. "I'm sure you can understand that I had to take every precaution necessary. To not have done so would be like creating a water gate with breaches and shabby equipment to support it. Of course, I'm not saying the world officials are anything like faulty equipment or holes in a gate, despite popular public belief." Misato answered from her seat, Jack, on her left, had to bite the inside of his mouth to avoid laughing.

He patted Misato's leg and she placed a hand over his bandaged one. He had come out of the hospital yesterday, of course, not because the hospital wanted to or felt it safe, he just had section 2 and many other sections pull some rather sneaky strings. He managed to break out to take a taxi to the global hall and get there in time before the meeting started up, much to Misato's joy.

The grumble of the room lowered as Kurokari spoke up from her right. "That's enough, this matter has now been addressed and further augments about a past event will prove a waste of time and will only fuel tension and frustration. I believe it is time we moved onto the attack of Israel and its contents." His voice was loud and strong, a voice everyone listened to and a voice that demanded silence.

A few mutters echoed around the circular room before a man from the Australian seating section picked up a sheet of paper from his superior before walking down to his podium to voice the contents. "On August 9th 2023, U.N global Alcav satellite; hummingbird, detected a large influx of military forces advancing on Israel. The use of strategic weaponry, held by Israel, was completely ineffective of dissuading U.S military forces from advancing into Israel. With no explanation from the U.S government on the mobilisation of forces, Israel took up a justified stance against the U.S military. The resulting clash lasted 27 hours and 40 minutes where, reportedly, 2,327 Israeli soldiers died along with 1,789 U.S soldiers and a horrendous 15,900 civilians and non-combatants died due to crossfire but mainly due to U.S strikes and air-raids that had no consideration of populace. It is highly believed by the U.S public and Israeli public and government, that these attacks were deliberate." The man said flipping over the sheet of paper.

Indeed, it was deliberate, the news reporters on every channel made that blazingly clear as soldiers had performed search and destroy manoeuvres on residential buildings and bombing runs on non-military controlled areas of populace.

"The President of the United States of America has given no official word of the attack due to his absence. The U.S government is in a very messy state and is lacking organization as petty squabbles and declarations are made in their halls. At 2: 39 AM this morning, the U.N demanded an explanation by this time today, 4:50 pm, however nothing has come through. The Israeli government is very much ready to launch a strike against any surrounding military bases. However, the military bases are being evacuated despite the U.S government clearly stating that no orders of any kind would be made during this time." The Australian speaker said before getting up and returning to his seat. There was much mumbling going on around the room, particularly from the Israeli side. The Israeli military leader was absent due to preparations for a counter offensive and bolstering the Israeli defences for another attack. However, many of the representatives had hard face and clamped jaws, they were all ready to vehemently strike at anyone who saw there retaliation as unjustified and as much as Misato wish it were that easy, she knew that she would have to step up.

"As much as I feel that a retaliation is justifiable and, if I was in the Israeli government's shoes, would be my first action..."She started, earning nods from some of them. "I think we should look at how we deal with the situation logically. It goes without saying that there must be some forms of corruption in the U.S military command. It takes over 7000 U.S officials and commanders to agree on such an action unless given joint decision by the U.S government. As much as striking back would seem the most rewarding, it will also be crippling for Israel if its war potential were to decrease and neighbouring countries were to attack because of it. Not too mention the fact that it would be best to find and punish those exactly responsible for the assault instead of taking the lives of everyone wearing a U.S marine corps badge.

Amzi Ben-Gurion looked over Misato with a critical eye. He favoured Misato's intellect and calm logical mind that could switch off emotion completely in favour for a more beneficial result. He waved down the growing protest from his side and nodded for Misato to continue.

She gave her thanks before doing so. "As you know, there was an explosion in Yokohama a few days ago, the exact date and only a few moments after the U.S forces entered Israel. We believe these to be connected and operated by the same people who lead up to the events of the U.S strike." Kurokari glanced at Misato but remained silent. "We have been getting snippets of these people but not enough to consider it a large enough threat to be particularly cautious. We did make the decision to end these terrorists before they wound up doing something damaging. Unfortunately, they were prepared for us and set off a 100 tonne bomb killing over 32,000 men, women and children and injuring almost double that. The worst tragedy we've been hit with since Rebirth, Thank God there was no nuclear fallout." Misato said with mumbles or acknowledgement around the room. "As such NERV investigated into it further but we have only managed to discover that whoever these sons of bitches are, they have a super weapon on the same level of Evangelion and the Angels, as such Asuka Langley Soryu's stage cluster 6 has been initiated."

"Stage cluster 6?" someone asked from around the room.

"That's Qating classification, general." Kurokari said

Silence surrounded the room, Qating classification was the highest level appointed by the MAGI, it was only to be used if it was unsafe to speak, meaning, someone or everyone in the room was corrupt and could be in league with a hostile group or militia. Glances were traded across the room as many became suspect of another party, it could not be helped and Kurokari knew it was time to end this before things got out of hand.

"We hope you understand the general state of the situation, and even though some you may be n undercover enemy, may being the keyword here ladies and gentlemen." He said, eyes looking each representative in the eye with exact same scrutiny. "It falls to you to try to correct this matter in a non-violent conclusion while we do everything in our power to stop a feared Evangelion war. I ask for you all to take particular scrutiny of your own forces before looking elsewhere. Thank you." Kurokari stood along with Jack and Misato and began to leave the room.

"We are not done here." An official said to their retreating figures.

"We are," Was Jack's simple reply as Misato helped him up some steps and out through the double doors. The two continued on and Misato patted his back before he pulled out his cell phone to make a call.

The phone chimed and someone on the other end, Jack began to speak in English. "Hey, it's me...read the news lately?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So..." Toji began, he and Shinji were in the changing room as Ritsuko had managed to fit in a time when Shinji could try piloting Evangelion unit 01. Shinji was fitting into his new plug suit which was a mixture of mostly black areas and some blue areas. He glanced over at Toji as he depressed the button on his wrist to activate the vacuum on the back of the suit causing it to become skin tight.

"I haven't seen her in two days. Before I left I put her to bed, I have yet to see or hear from her yet." Shinji told his friend, scratching his head. Kaji would know what to have done in this situation, unfortunately, the only thing left of Kaji was in the bastard of a cyborg.

"You tried calling her? I've seen her," Toji began before he was whipped around to be faced with Shinji's serious expression.

"What did she say?" Toji blinked at that, surprised at Shinji's strength, he had yet to see the man actually use it.

"Umm, she was talking to Hikari about you, though, I could not make out the words, but she was giggling a lot and smiling and not evilly." Toji recounted, looking at the ceiling in thought.

"You're sure?"

"Not a hundred percent, Kensuke was the one who actually talked to her so you'll have to ask him." he informed Shinji who let him go from his grasp. He rubbed his shoulders with a smile. "...So..." he began before chuckling as Shinji punched him in the arm. "No, seriously now, what are you planning to do." He asked while flexing his muscles through the new plug-suit, it was giving him a lot of pressure on his arms.

Shinji glanced at him as he shut his locker with a slam. "Not sure, I'll just do what comes naturally, I guess." He said, turning and leaving through the doors while tugging at his plug-suit. He was starting to feel nervous about this synch test. He had expected to feel fine, instead he had this feeling of dread skating down his spine. He found himself thinking about all the times things had turned sour and the gory details of Evangelion 01's berserker state. He then saw scenarios of what would happen if things went wrong, for all he knew he might activate an explosion of the same magnitude of the incident that destroyed the NERV branch in Nevada before rebirth.

He glanced at Toji as they left the room and walked down the hall. What if he caused something similar to Toji and unit 03's activation? What if Evangelion 01 went berserk and went on a rampage, if he was knocked out while the beast tore apart his friends, his hopes, his dreams, his future.

Shinji took a steadying breath as they entered the Evangelion cages before stopping in his tracks. Evangelion 01 stood before him, completely white due to the engineering crew needing a white canvas to spray on the new colour. He could feel it, the oppressive nature of the Evangelion, something he had come more aware of over time. However, it was not new to him, not in the slightest, he was not afraid of the cyborg, he was afraid of what would happen if he lost control.

"Shinji!" His head snapped up to the sight of Asuka to the left standing on top of Evangelion unit 02 in her plug-suit. Shinji practically gaped at her. His mind could not come up with a word that could describe Asuka in that moment, she had some how stepped passed the bounds of perfection and transcend it.

She stood in her plug-suit showing off her curved well toned body, amazingly long legs, a defined stomach that made his mouth water a more than a handful rack that were firm followed by her neck to that face and hair that would make a Goddess jealous. His mind pondered over the image of her ass in that plug-suit..._God forgive my rotten soul_.

"I've got your back, if anything goes wrong I'll be sure to stop the Eva from doing anything. Just try to make sure not to let it get to you head, don't go over 400 again and all the fuss to get you back is not worth you proving your better than me...which you're not." She said with an easy smile before jumping into her entry plug.

Shinji's heart pounded in joy, she was not being distant with him,in fact, she seemed to be more relaxed and confident when she just spoke to him. It was still to early to properly say if she was exactly fine with whatever they were at the moment but it was good to hear her say she was watching out for him.

He nodded at her Evangelion before turning to Toji who patted his shoulder. "We'll be in the Evangelions. I doubt that thing will go berserk but we got to be safe. See ya after the test, Shinji." He said before jogging off to Evangelion 03 despite signs strictly saying not to run.

Shinji looked at the ground and breathed in heavily. He looked back up at the white behemoth before him and took a step forward, his eyes locked onto the armoured face, jaw bolted shut. A thought shivered down his spine, the image of the Eva biting his head off flashed across his eyes. He had to stop for a moment to shake off the the bone shivering memory, it had never happened, and the Eva had never actively went out of his its way to harm him. He took the stairs up to the entry plug, eyes roaming over the support staff who were making quick and final checks before he looked up at the observation centre and the crew inside of it.

Despite what Shinji hoped, he had little doubt the Eva would not work for him. Something inside told him it would, it was his Evangelion, his accomplice in the mistakes they had both made as pilot and...whatever the hell it was. He had responsibilities that he had been shrugging off until now. As he stood there, looking down at the insertion point at the back of the Eva's neck, Shinji realised the weight and responsibility that came with an Eva would never go away.

He was taking the reigns again and this time, not like all the other times he had the luck of passing out, no, this time he was going to have control. He had men, women, co-workers and friends at risk of loosing their lives if he did not.

"Shinji...?" came the voice of Toji through the speakers of Evangelion 03. Shinji glanced over at the Eva before nodding and stepping into the plug. It was just as he remembered, there were no upgrades or changes, mainly due to the recent work to get the Evangelion out of its fossilised state. His hands ran over the cold metal as he sat back in the uncomfortable seat, designed to be so to keep pilots awake and attentive.

"See you after the test, sir" A technician said before closing the plug. Immediately, LCL started to flood the plug and Shinji found himself breathing in as the liquid rose to his knees. He suppressed the urges and welcomed the LCL as it reached his lips and started to fill his nostrils with its bloody scent.

He coughed on it for a moment before holding it in, his brain started to hurt from lack of oxygen until it faded as the LCL provided the oxygen directly into the bloodstream. He relaxed as it was electrified and he immediately started to feel the ghost like presence of the Evangelion. He listened as Ritsuko went through the start up, his eyes glancing over the plug and check behind it for a dummy plug before sitting back down.

The A-10 connectors initiated and Shinji was suddenly hit with a wave of disorientation. A faint screaming sound was pounding through his skull as he leaned forward to place his hands in his head. The scream was not stopping and a hot pain burnt up inside his brain, throbbing and stabbing for all its worth as an image flashed in front of him. His mind was too unfocused to catch what he saw, it felt like his brain was melting and it was coming out of his mouth in the form of drool.

A shocking pain exploded in his head, rocking him back and banging his head on the seat causing him to cry out in confusion and pain. The LCL felt heavy around him, slowing his movements as if he was trying to crawl through mud. He could faintly tell alarms going off as his body seized up, like a force had a grip on him that was giving him an unthinkable amount of pain that his brain could not fully calculate. It released him as soon as it came and another image flashed across his eyes, one of a boy with a gun, then another of a man with...Misato.

_Take control Shinji!_ He said to himself. He could hear words over the roaring scream in his ears and knew that something was happening outside Eva. He slammed a fist on the controls before gripping them both and closing his eyes to try and contain the pain. "STOOOOOP!" He cried out, his mind searching the Evangelion through all the pain and disorientation the unit was causing him. He searched the Evangelion, mind delving and plunging as if diving lower and lower into the blackness of the deep sea. He felt so many things, big and meaningless, small and wondrous, yet, so unimportant in his goal for control.

He felt like his mind was collapsing, he felt the familiar pressure to blackout, but his link told him that the Evangelion was waiting for the moment he did, building up power for its berserk state to complete a cause unknown to Shinji but one he was not going to approve.

_There_

A snippet, so small but almost purposely so, it called faintly to him but there was a darkness that prohibited further venture. Shinji was at then end of his rope and knew that this was it. The pain intensified and it felt like he was leaving his body again.

_To hell with it_

He grasped it and instantly his whole body jerked back out of the metaphysical realm and back into the living, breathing one. His eyes were wide as the communications were filled with screams and shouts, too much for his ears at the moment.

"Guys, I'm okay" He said but with no response back, just the endless cries and orders being echoed across the room. "Hey! I'm alright." Still nothing and his mind was at its peak and after all he just went through, he was not in a reserved mood. He unintentionally placed the Evangelion's external speakers on maximum output "SHUT. THE. FUCK. UUUUP!!" He roared

Dead silence.

"Uuh...Shinji...Are you okay?" Shinji stared at Eva-02 through 01's eyes, face scrunched up before he reviewed himself. Now that the noise had stopped, he felt very well apart from a headache that was rapidly retreating.

"Y-yeah, just my head hurts and with all the sound. I tried to tell everyone I was okay but you were all busy screaming and running around like headless chickens." He said rubbing his face before looking around and noticing there was no damage to be seen. "What happened while I was...troubleshooting my connection with Eva?" He asked

"Troubleshooting your conn... hell of a way to put it, Shinji. Your lifeline went dead, though you had amazingly high brain activity. We tried to auto-eject, but...you know, it's Evangelion 01." Asuka said back to him, she sounded very relieved and cheery, an amazing thing to his ears, she had the voice of Angel mixed with a succubus from hell.

"Report, what happened to you." Ritsuko asked from her post as she fanned down her men and began looking at the compiling data.

Shinji looked at the monitor for a moment before he tried his best to think back to the event and what took place. He shook his head at complexity of it all. "I'm going to have to write a report or something, I'm still trying to put it all together. In a nutshell, I think I have a general idea how to stop the berserk phases from happening or maybe go on to control. But...I don't know...just...just."

He leaned forward as his eyes felt like a ton of bricks and the faint shouts of Asuka and Ritsuko could be heard just before he fainted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alex Christopher Drake, senior scientist and lead scientist of a secret project that no man should take part in, was sitting at his desk looking over the latest reports from his team. He sat forward with a pinched expression as he read through the multiple problems that were arising with the project. For six years he had been working on this project, for six years he went weeks without word from his family until he was aloud a brief whisper. He was playing God for six years, a fact he hated more than anything else in the world, however, his love for his family and their continual survival forced him to push through his own emotional feelings in favour for their safety.

He sighed as he glanced over at a picture on his desk, his beautiful wife in her lab coat and glasses, sparkling blonde hair and green eyes. His daughter was nestled in her arms, little teeth chewing on a pen as she sought to exercise he developing chewing ability. He could vaguely remember what it was like to hold her in his arms, so small and so delicate, every time he picked her up he felt like he was about to break her like a priceless piece of pottery.

He longed to see her again, to see how she had grown in her confined quarters only God knows where. He wanted to see the smile of his wife and the laughter of his child.

He glanced up at the clock as it read 2 AM, one more hour and he would tell his men to sleep for 6 hours before getting some food and heading straight back to work. They had been working like this for the past 4 years, there deadline was fast approaching and Alex found himself getting back logged with mistakes and failed reports. Thankfully, all his superiors wanted was a functioning prototype before they went into the deeper mechanics.

He stood up and walked to the large window screen in front of him. He flipped a switch and watched as the image of clouds disappeared to be replaced with the monstrosity they had been creating.

At 200 meters tall, the new weapon was rested on its back in the drilled out cavern. Its body was covered with stitches from thousands of insertions as if its body was a conglomeration of others and in all truth, it was. Alex could only shake his head at the atrocity on how many lives it must have taken to make this and a recent influx of bodies, mainly Israeli from what he could tell. From donor, cloned cells and limbs to the muscles directly from the UM Evangelions. It was a sickening process to complete, the weapon sometimes rejected the muscles given to it or it sometimes became impossible to cut into its flesh due to its own dormant defences activating.

Alex had to admit to some disgusted pride at how far they had come from their homunculus creation, single cell organism of humane properties, to this 200 meter beast laid out on a long type of table the could levitate the weapon.

A call from his phone made him return to his office as he still regarded the creature. "Drake," He answered as he checked a report of tissue burning.

"Good afternoon, professor." A mocking voice said over the phone. Drake lowered the paper as he focused down at the desk, his face stern and locked.

"General," Was all he said.

"Oh come now, Drake, we've known each other for so long, can't we just be friends?"

"Excuse my language, General, but go fuck yourself." Drake replied and a bellowing chuckle followed after that from the General.

"Fair enough, the completion of the prototype, how is it going?" The voice asked expectantly and Drake refrained from asking to hear from his family as he already knew the result.

"Well, as I'm always saying; we need more time for tests and such but you men in all your wisdom decided against that. This weapon-"

"Coil"

There was a pause

"What?" Alex asked, wondering where that came from.

"Coil, that's the name of the weapon." He replied "Drake, the Coil will be shipping off for combat in a few weeks and you and your team will be in an observational unit to record its battle progress."

Alex stared at his phone and then the Coil laying on its back in bewilderment. "General, besides the fact that me and my men don't want to be branded. I have serious concerns about the weap...Coil's active use, let alone on the battlefield. Not only are the stitches insufficient to hold it together, the Coil will fall under its own mass and unstable emotional table." Alex explained, totally against any field involvement at this stage.

"Well from my reports you have been creating these...bands? Which should help keep control over the Coil and keep it together." The General said. Alex bit his lip at that, his scientists were also being tabbed and controlled but he did not ever think the General had any reports other than his verbal ones.

"It's true, we do have the bands of Ouroboros to contain the flesh but we still do not know the properties in which to use them. We have made several copies of the original 9 but there power will only hold for a certain amount of time." Alex tried to reason as he sat down to pull up the file of said Bands. They looked like a snake or dragon swallowing its tail while making a circle. They had been discovered several years ago and it had been the project of another division to mass produce them to enslave their Coils.

"How long..." Was the follow up question.

"If we factor in the amount of time to get them on the field as well as strain, muscular expansion, the synchronisation between the bands and the Coil-" He began before being cut off.

"How long, Alexander!" Was the shout on the other line.

"...20 minutes minimum until inoperable, maximum can be 25 minutes up to a few hours. We've never recorded the actual synchronised ability of the Coil when in battle highs or high emotional states." He sighed in defeat.

"That's why you and your men are going. An attack is going to commence on Israel again in another week, I want you to go to Japan and try it against the might of the Evangelion's." The General ordered with a no nonsense tone. "How much damage do you think the Coil can achieve on Eva."

Alex sighed again and ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Physically, it could tear through the armour given enough time to rip it off. I have no clue if it has any offensive energy based attacks. In a state of Thanatos it may be able...at maximum, be able to cripple an Evangelion but the skills of the pilot may cause no real damage to be caused to Eva unit." Alex Drake looked at the Coil again and rubbed his face. "The mentality..., the soul of a child may be..inefficient when it comes to combat." He said through clenched teeth.

"It does not matter, a homeless child was easy to acquire. We did not feel the skill of a soldier should be wasted in a prototype when there's so much scum running around." The General said airily, making Alex slam his fist on his desk.

"God Damn it! We put a fucking child in there, she didn't even look 8 years old for Christ sake. She had her whole life ahead of her but you destroyed it! You turned her into a monster and you I both know her body will fall apart no matter what we do! You sick fucks think it's acceptable to let anyone go through that torment, to be constantly feeling pain and wanting nothing but death!?" Alex shouted as he looked at the sleeping Coil.

"I think you are forgetting, Alex, I never put her in the Coil, you did that, you're the one operating on her and your the one who is going to watch her last moments as she dies. I just give you the orders Drake, you're the one who follows them." Was the deadpan response to Drake's outburst.

"Then I refuse to continue." Alex said with as much Venom and disgust as he could muster, eyes clouded by rage at the General's blatant disregard to a suffering child's life.

"You refuse and I put your daughter in the next one..."

Alex Drake held in a gasp as the image of his daughter suffering the same pain as the Coil flashed in his mind. He shook his head and went limp in defeat, eyes saddened at his inability. He looked at the picture of his little girl in sorrow and growing hate.

""You better hope to God I don't ever meet you." Was Alex's final words to the General who chuckled as he disconnected.

With a heavy sigh and a heart full of pain, Alex stood up and moved to the glass once again. His eyes roamed over his workers and over the body of the Coil. It was still changing, developing womanly attributes as the body tried to imitate the mind and soul. You would not be able to tell the Coil was female unless you carefully studied it but it was. At least it was trying to change to be while it still kept its heavy muscular physique.

A reminder to Alex of the girl that may have been in her middle school going through a joyful life with friends and a foster family. He had been the one to deny her of that and instead, had subjected her to a very slow and painful path to death.

His fist clenched as he looked at a switch kept in a box on the wall. It was officially meant to kill the prototype should it awaken and go on a rampage. However, his fellow scientists had built it for the purpose of granting the child a quick, painless death in the final moments of the unstable Coil's lifespan.

"I'm sorry, this is unforgivable and nothing I ever want to be forgiven for. I just hope the gates of Eden open up for you." He said softly as a small tear crept out of his eye. He wiped his face and quickly went back to work, they had to prepare for the assault on NERV.

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I know what you are Thinking. 3 scenes? That it? Yeah, shortest chapter you will ever see in this fanfiction but I guess, when I was planning this, I never stated how much detail would be needed. I mean, I put in 3 scenes and what I needed to cover was fairly simple but at the time I wrote the plan...well my skills were not as...advanced in the story telling aspect and the amount detail to convey what is going on to help your imagination.

I was playing around with adding an extra scene but then I said it may be inconsistent with the plot or may leave gaps. I did that too much in Death is fickle and I sure as hell do not want to do that here.

Anyway Shout outs. Yours is last, Daetor, you just write soo much, lol, and much is good.

Sithknight-Galen: You have a very perceptive eye. The thing with Toji and Hikari and how they respond to one another. Yes...something did happen and that will be revealed...later on. I always thought Toji was the kind of guy to be very subject to women when the time came despite his male pride, Hikari's personality and authority are exactly the things that would keep him submissive as well as her being in submission to him, so it kind of shows a role model partnership and how well they go with one another.

Martin Works for NERV as a politician but is not a direct NERV employee. Like a Scientist may make bombs for the military or some doctors may help soldiers but that does not mean they are soldiers themselves.

Daetor: ...Inhales and looks over your review. Whose LD?

Sorry about the length and all of this one. Just did not want to break the plan or else my time schedule and how much I work on this along with what should go in each chapter would become very disorganised.

Yeah, I think the whole Soul thing of NGE is too vague and the mixing with science is very...incompatible for story telling.

Thanks for grasping the whole Asuka and Misato situation. As an author you find yourself wondering how the character would react while trying to keep as close to cannon as possible while also making it more mature. I think the whole Asuka not recalling Misato's troubles of being out of the loop is a human thing. I mean, we all go against our parents or get pissed when they want us to do stuff and we forget they raised us, fed us, gave us clothes, games, tv, rooms, comfy beds and so on. You just don't recall it unless someone brings it back up and then you'll remember it for awhile.

Yeah, Shinji's reactions were appropriate and I found it very easy to do as it is actually a bit like his reaction to seeing NERV, Tokyo-3, the Geo-front and Eva. So this was one of the areas I could go back to Cannon material and not worry about the reaction being out of place. Shinji's knowledge of the world is always cut off as he never does anything to catch up on the news or he is in situations or areas where it is not possible.

I was actually worried about the Hikari Asuka scene as I got a PM requesting Some Asuka and Hikari lime but I just don't see Asuka as that type, unless she is teasing. Yep, Hikari still has her shy points but it also makes her character, so taking that away would no improve her it would just make her seem alien from the rest of the original cast.

I know what you mean about looking dumb to avoid unwanted attention. Did it with my teachers when I was like 10, hated it when they made me answer up. I'm not sure if Toji looks dumb on purpose but when he is thoughtful...I'm not sure if it's just me but he just cracks me up. In the manga he is more intense and serious, in the anime...you wonder how much of a brain he actually has. Because of that, it makes him exceptionally hard to evolve as a character. Thankfully maturity solves a lot of that after awhile.

Yeah, the final scene was the hardest scene I have done so far. Not to do it but to make it as close to what may happen as possible. I think it would take a lot more than saying I love you as I could see Asuka doing all she could not to hear it. I think Asuka knows everything that would happen if someone did so, it would expose her and we all know she hates that because she does not know what to do. She's not a submissive character in the least...thinks about that no, she's not, unless something coincides with her wants, if not she will argue the point. I dimmed that attitude down some as she is more attentive and aware of her own responsibilities as a pilot and Captain as well as a person. That's why she chose Martin, I'm not sure if she wants to be submissive, needing to lean or give in to someone, but to her, if that was the case, she would want someone who could tear her walls down and Martin viewed her as a challenge and she knew he would do a lot to get her as his own and was a very outspoken and aggressive man. Though, (now this is weird to say because I'm the author.) I don't really know exactly what she exactly wants and I feel the more I write the more I'll be able to figure it out what it is as well as Shinji as I am mainly writing from his viewpoint.

Yes, I also believe the two are opposites in the sense of one's externally weak but internally strong while the other is externally strong but internally weak, that's why me and you, and every AxS fan knows Shinji and Asuka are just made, not destined, not paired up, MADE to be with one another.

Of course that's my opinion.

By the way, not sure if it's just me but I can't seem to review, it keeps logging me out when I do, so I have not been able to review your fanfic. Sorry about that.

Anyway, thanks for the support and I hope you guys review, and putting down lame insults about my skills without any reasoning is redundant. Grow up people.

Next chapter is...um...1st October...my Birthday!

No beta reader this time. Sorry.


	7. Pinnacle

**Pinnacle**

A man sat on top of a car, dilapidated and destroyed, abandoned by its owner having run out of its use, its purpose, just like the man on top of it. The man was dressed in black slacks and shoes with a type of cape covering his upper body to shield him from the cold. A cigarette was in his mouth, slowly wafting out its fumes as the end burned with the heat.

The man looked around him at all the cars, woods, metals and other scrapped materials. It was a big ghetto like area for all the tramps without homes in Japan. It reeked of decay, disease and other disgusting elements that could take out a skunk if it managed to get a sniff. The area was formed from an explosion of a defeated angel that had fell from orbit and down to earth. It had left a sizeable creator the locals and many garbage companies used the site as a dumping ground for perfectly fine recyclable materials. After Rebirth or third impact, many had come here as a last resort, convicts or exiles who were despised and hated. Rebirth brought back many and the world leaders had officially allowed almost all criminals a second chance, a clean slate, and for some, they were welcomed back. However, for these men and women, no form of cleansing or law could scrub away their acts from the people. They were forced out of their homes, vandalism, pressure, fires, stoning, even minor gunfire had forced them out with no intervention from the authorities what so ever.

"Shikari!" The man sitting on top of the decimated car turned to the young man running up to him.

"We have news, David-san believes the U.S military are going to begin it soon." The young man, no more than 17, said, face dirty with grease and oil from his long days of constructing homes out of the wasted material.

Shikari stood up and took a long drag before exhaling it through his nostrils. "Tell the others it is time to start the evacuation, slowly, we do not want to attract any unwanted attention." Shikari said, running his left hand through his black hair, still fresh and dark after so many years. He looked off towards the distant metropolis of Tokyo-3 as the boy nodded and ran off. He lifted his right hand, it was metallic as his original right hand had been severed long ago.

He opened the hand to look as if it was encircling the entire city before he suddenly closed it as if catching and squashing a fly. "Will you survive the coming storm?" He asked the city before lowering his hand and spitting away the cigarette. "It is coming, hence the frozen silence" He finished before turning back and walking deeper into the heart of the awakening ghetto.

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**Song suggestion: A breath of sunshine by Scary kids scarring kids**

Shinji sat on a bench in a white shirt with a few of the top buttons undone in dark blue jeans, a selection he was still getting used to but with the breeze flowing onto his chest. He could not deny the feeling of peace and tranquillity that was the wind on his chest. He had arranged a type of date with Asuka, however, he had also promised Kensuke he would go to his and have dinner with his wife. Thankfully Kensuke had been willing to change the date.

He shrugged his shoulders before resting his arms on his legs as the wind tousled his hair. He fiddled his silver and black ring on his forefinger in thought. Well, not really thought, he was trying to pass the time as he waited for her while periodically checking the digital clock on one of the towers.

He looked up at the feminine call of his name. His eyes locked on Asuka's form and he instantly was struck again by her beauty, he partly wondered if he would always turn to look at her with a constant stupid awe stricken expression. She was dressed in white summer dress with a black choker on her neck with her hair up in he usual A-10 hair clip fashion. "Hey Asuka, you look absolutely beautiful!" He said in pure honesty, he could not lie even if someone had a gun to his head, she was the most beautiful thing in the universe as far as he was concerned.

She smiled with very faint blush, a blush Shinji did not catch. "Thanks...uh...anyway, where are we going, I really hope it's somewhere really nice." She asked as she placed her black bag over her shoulder, the breeze swooping up her hair and giving her this fallen angel kind of image that Shinji had to admire before answering her question.

"You know that time we had to be synchronised together to defeat that twin Angel?" He answered her question with another question.

She gave him a confused look as they began to walk along. "Yeah...?"

"Well they made the blast site into a type of park and there's an area for V.I.P's that, I think, you'll love. I instantly thought of you when I went to see it with Kensuke." He told her, his heart fluttering as he could talk to her so casually. _Oh my, God, oh my God, oh MY GOD, YES_!

"Hmmm, I've never been there before it always reminded me of..." she trailed off, glancing at him oddly.

"Oh,...tell me something," he began realising she was reminded of him. "Did I really piss you off that much. Did you really take me leaving Tokyo-3 that hard?" He asked wanting to know how she really felt instead of getting mixed interpretations.

She sighed and looked up at him and stopped. "To be honest, at first, I was just really pissed off, it felt more like a betrayal more than anything else. The worst of it was when I thought about what the others were going through and all the surveillance and investigations that went against them, let alone myself. We were going through hell while you were enjoying a paradise compared to us. I think I was more jealous than genuinely unhappy that you had some peace and quiet in your life." She looked forward as she finished. "We both know what you do and do not deserve and the things you have to take responsibility for." She reminded him as she continued to walk on.

Shinji glanced over her profile before nodding in agreement and catching up.

"Besides that, how are you finding this place, and come to think of it." She said looking back up at him with sapphire eyes. "You never told me about that Rio place, only a little at the party, and even then you never spoke much about the people you met." She said, eyeing him with a questioning threatening look, one he visibly leaned away from. "Did you meet a girl, have a girlfriend waiting for you, is that why you didn't want to stay here?"She asked, pressing him for information that was causing him to sweat despite the breeze on his open shirt chest.

"We-we-we-we-well, I did meet a few girls but it never got serious or any-oh look we're here." he said. They looked out across the area that was covered in Sakura trees with an amazingly organised blend of Centaurea cyanus and a cascade of poppy's. "Es ist wunderschön!" Asuka said in marvel as streams etched along cliffs of grassy fields and small patches of cemented stone lay among hills and other areas as observational reclines.

They walked up to a man dressed in a Kimono, as soon as he saw the pair he bowed in submission. "The very benefactors of this amazing and beautiful adult withdrawal. I greet you in full respects to your troubles in the Angel war. Before I saw this crater I had believed you to be monsters for fighting the Angels but my eyes were finally opened and I understood. Please take off your shoes and place on the sandals, you will always be welcome here, free of charge." The man said holding out the sandals exactly the right size.

"Thank you very much" They both said in unison while eyeing each other. They handed the man the shoes and heels for the white sandals before entering the park which was mostly empty as they generally had a maximum of around 30 people at a push and all of them adults and most of them being couples.

"This is really Wunderbar" She said, walking closer to him as she observed the beautiful trees and the slight movement of squirrels.

"De facto," He returned coyly and Asuka glared at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Thank you for reminding me, now, back to your whole girlfriend thing back in Rio-what-its place." with the familiar expression of demand coming back into her face and body language. Shinji smirked at that, she was almost a full head smaller than him and a lot weaker too.

He lifted his face to look down his nose at her. It was not one of the smartest things he had ever done in his life and his face knew about it before he could even blink. Anyone who saw it would have told you that the uppercut Asuka gave Shinji launched the poor and foolish man off his feet for a moment before he landed holding his chin. "Jesus Herald Christ!" He shouted more in shock than pain.

"Don't look down at me like some other bitch, Ikari," She told him while rubbing her knuckles. "baka." She growled out before turning on him and walking to a stream to bend down and look at her reflection. Shinji rubbed his chin as he stared at her in shock before shaking his head and walking over. He should not have been surprised by her strength, he had got an ass whoopin from many women half his size in the past. She sighed at his shocked expression and then muttered; "Sorry, ab und zu kann ich schlecht einschätzen wie stark ich bin." she supplied before giving up at Shinji's confused expression.

Shinji shook his head again and knelt down beside her as she reached down to pick up a fallen cherry blossom. "A-are you okay?" He asked her as she sat back to look at the sky.

"Yeah, just stress and the global status not helping any. I really thought we could stop with the wars perhaps hold out until a few years after restoring the planet. Not even ten years into the restoration and we are already trying to take each others lives again." She answered , eyes wandering to the night time sky as wooden lanterns were it with natural flame and gave the park a surreal yet alive night time feel to it.

Shinji stood up and looked at the stars as well. "I never liked war, not because of the results, just the concept, it was just the meaning to it, most of the time it was only for land and money. I couldn't justify how a green piece of paper made from a tree was more important than a life." Asuka looked up at him and admired how the moon above gave his skin a beautiful glow that made him seem tasty, she wanted to lick his skin. "I think that's true with all forms of money. This war is for something else, something we are not even sure about and we have to fight them to save the human race. I believe in reasons to fight but you always wonder at one point; are we fighting for the right side?" He asked rhetorically, eyes darting among the park.

Asuka smiled before standing up and allowing the petal to fall back into the water. "I think every soldier finds their own answer at some point in the conflict...like the Angel war." She answered as she turned back to look up at him.

Shinji sighed with a smile. He had fought the majority of that war not knowing what he was fighting for. He knew the answer subconsciously but that was a hidden secret locked in his head and it had taken him many months to find his answer for fighting while the others already had their own. He glanced down at Asuka for a long moment and she tilted her head to the side in question.

"What was your reason for fighting in the war?"

Asuka smiled at him before starting to walk away to the central area. Shinji blinked before catching up to her to find her eyes closed with the same smile plastered on her face. "I think my reason for fighting was as I always said it was."

"Recognition?" He guessed

"Recognition my mother never gave me, love I didn't have the privilege of having. I wanted people to give me that, I wanted people to _notice_ me." She giggled with a hint of something dark "They did , however, it was only a few months into being on the front lines, with you and Emo-girl-blue, that I realised I wanted people to recognise the real me." She opened her eyes to glance at him and then look back forward. "I didn't want people getting so close that they could hurt me like my mother had done to me with her ignorance of my existence and her death. I'm still not sure what I want more."

The two walked up to the central area which overlooked the lantern lit park and the spectacular sakura trees and flowers of different variations and colours arrayed in such a way that it looked like two humanoid forms. One a mixture of bright colours and the other a mixture of dark colours. Asuka gasped at the secret image of Evangelion unit 01 and 02. She grabbed Shinji's hand and squeezed it to show her appreciation as she was too busy marvelling the cleverly organised laying of flowers and trees.

Shinji looked at her sparkling blue eyes in pure pleasure and joy knowing that it was him who gave her such happiness. Just seeing Asuka even a little happy made his heart flutter and send shivers coursing down his spine. _God, you're so beautiful, Asuka, too beautiful to be true._

He almost fell over as she pulled him along to see a closer look at the park to find any more secrets among its flowery floor. He was in for a great night.

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"So..."

"The next attack will be on China in a few hours, the Coil's soul will be ready for deployment along with the scientists."

"It better be, I think that Martin prick is on to me again and those fucking homeless fags are starting to move out, they know we are going to attack NERV soon, I just haven't figured out how they know."

"Japan does not care where its filth goes to and neither should we. As long as certain parties think nothing of it then there will be no delay in our preparations."

"Well, I think its time you got the military forces ready for the assault, NERV is already gathering its soldiers and it will only be a matter of time before NERV's military forces have strength equal to that of our own."

"Indeed. Status on the Coil's shipment?"

"In a Loki transport train, will arrive at the south side U.S airbase within the hour, the scientists are with it and are adjusting the stability rings on the weapon."

"Alright, branch off and report at the next designated area after the battle. Do not forget to make sure our Venezuelan forces are prepared for deployment."

"Okay, I still say we should get some Japanese forces to help us."

"No, NERV are quite tight assed when it comes to anything Japanese based. They don't want another fuck up like the last time they were betrayed.

"Understood."

"dismissed"

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**Song suggested: Waltz for koop by koop**

"-the time when we were yelling about me almost kissing you in the middle of the night in front of everybody!?" Shinji asked in between a laugh as Asuka giggled with him as they both sat on a hill, backs rested on the sloping grass.

"Oh God, yes, I couldn't believe I said all that over live broadcast." She covered her mouth with her hand as more giggles started to erupt at what she said next. "Once I realised it Misato couldn't tell which was redder, my face or my hair!" Shinji cracked up and rolled onto his side as he fought to get his breathing under control. Asuka got up onto her elbows to look down at Shinji with wide searching eyes. "Would you have done it if I didn't call out my mother's name?"

Shinji stopped laughing to look at her and her attitude and body language suggested she was still in friendly mood and nothing too serious. "W-well yeah..." He blushed

Her eyes widened a little more as she searched his face. "Yeah, what...was I that enticing back then?"

"Well, uhh" He glanced around in his odd position as he had his neck turned almost the other way compared to his body which was facing the other way. "It was night and the moon was creating light on your face and your skin shone, your lips were so full and enticing and they looked kind of...tasty, hehe" He tried to add in a bit of a chuckle before looking back up to her face to find half closed eyes and lips that seemed to be in a type of sensual pout.

She moved one hand so it landed in front of him moving closer so she had him trapped with her red hair falling over her shoulder. Shinji's eyes were frozen in awe and he could feel his crotch filling up with blood as his manhood started to grow and slither down his leg as it did so. "I was 14 the last time we met" She licked her lips as she leaned closer to him, her hair falling to caress his neck as his eyes moved down to her lips and then the view of cleavage. "I'm 21 at the moment, Do you want to see how much I've changed since then?" She asked almost close to touching his lips with her own. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears, his member getting thicker and longer, his mouth filling with drool and the want to explore hers.

She suddenly pulled back into a laughing fit, the transition being too quick for Shinji to contemplate right away. He got up to look at her as she was in a state of fits, holding her chest as tears of laughter ran down her face. Shinji stood up, he was bewildered with the sudden change from intense, sensual and a dick as hard as a diamond to the hysterically laughing Asuka rolling in the grass. _ What the fuck?_

"I-I-I-I" She glanced up at him before falling apart all over again. She forced herself to calm down at Shinji's pissed off face, patting her face and breathing strongly. "Sorry, Shinji. I just couldn't believe you thought I was that easy and your expression was too much." She said with a few giggles. Shinji did not look happy one bit. _You manipulative little bitch_, He hissed in his mind as his eyes narrowed. She choked back her giggling and addressed him properly. "Sorry," She said sheepishly.

He kept his eyes narrowed for a moment before giving into her forgiving stare. "Okay, Asuka, I forgive you." He almost lost his footing as she grabbed his arm and hugged it in thanks. He smiled and led them towards the park's exit. "You did kind of get my hopes up, now they're all deflated." He added whilst scratching his head.

Asuka looked down at his crotch before chuckling. "That's not the only thing that's deflated." She replied and Shinji's mind went blank while his face heated up and for some odd reason that he could not figure out, blood was rushing back down again. _Come on, Ikari, Asuka is a friend, a friend, a friend...a friend who affects me like no other._ He tried to change his walking style but that only provided friction and that wasn't making it go down. Asuka's blatant stare would make sure it only got bigger.

Shinji bit his lip and turned away while breathing in and out. "Asuka, can you give me a minute?" He pleaded but Asuka decided she wanted to play the game a little longer.

She put on her most sexy voice as she walked up behind him and whispered. "Take your time Shinji," and she finished the devastator with a wet smack of her lips and a moan before stepping away. _That should give him something to dream about._

Shinji was as hard as steel and he knew, after what Asuka had done, it was not going down any time soon. He knelt down and looked around, happy to know there were not that many people around to be able to walk up and see his predicament. His hand wanted to massage the tension away while his brain said wait it out but Asuka was not a very patient person.

"Hurry up, Shinji, I may be good but that doesn't mean I'm good enough to cripple you, God" She said from her spot, arms folded in annoyance.

"You're the one who made it worse, this is the price you pay, and the more you speak the longer it will take before I can walk without looking like a horny freak." He did not mean to actually complement her, but saying her very voice was good enough to keep him up was a lot of praise in Asuka's ears. She turned around and waited with a very satisfied smirk.

It took Shinji a whole five minutes to sort his dick out and get his mind off of Asuka which proved very difficult with her annoyed statements. He turned and walked passed her and she easily caught up. "I don't see what the big deal is, Ikari, it's not like I don't know what a cock is." She said to him airily.

He felt weird at that, he viewed the word 'cock' to be used in sexual situations like during sex or something. Asuka used the word so casually as if it was the same as the traditional and more correct term penis. But that word sounded wrong as well, he chalked it up to Asuka saying it and not the actual word itself. "Well, you haven't seen mine and that's the point." He replied as it was the only comeback he could think of.

"I cou-" She began before she stopped herself as she could feel him slightly stiffen. She bit the inside of her cheeks to stop laughing.

"Anyway, let's move on..." He tried to take the discussion somewhere else as they left the park.

"Why? This _is_ an adult conversation, you're the one reacting like a teenager." She told him defiantly with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"That' right Asuka and I believe that my embarrassment can only go on for so long. Not too mention that Martin guy would not be happy about us talking about this kind of stuff with one another." He told her in a no nonsense voice.

"I prefer to talk to you about this than him. He really does act like a horny jerk and he's really suggestive. Like, heavily suggestive to the point where you wonder why he doesn't just whip his average sized Schwanz out." She conversed.

"You've seen it?" he asked in slight panic and dread, his stomach sucking in.

"Well, yeah, he was drunk and some woman wanted to see it and he just got it out. I guess it looks small from a distance but I hear up close it looks a _lot_ bigger." She glanced at him with a smile before questioning him. "Ich frag mich wie groß dein Schwanz ist?" Shinji blinked at her in questioning before she waved away the subject. "Have you met Kensuke's wife yet?"

"No, I'm going to meet them tomorrow for dinner. I hear from Toji, Hikari and Misato that she is very nice." He supplied her and she nodded her head in agreement.

"She helped me get over my little suicide venture a long while ago. She really did change Kensuke from a dorky nobody to respected man in political circles. Misato wanted him to run for Japanese secretary of defence but he refused because of his commitment to his wife." She sighed in want. "I wish I could find a guy like that, you know?"

Shinji was not sure if he should answer or not. He was starting to see how confusing Asuka could be and her change in desires ad actions varied from time to time. Was she leading him on to something else or was she just playing with him, did she even know. "I could be that guy...if you want me to." He surprised himself and slightly her with his courage to say that.

"I'm not sure about that, Ikari, you can't just come back after _7-long-fucking-years,_ when Martin has been trying for two, and expect me to just spread my legs in invitation. You are going to work your ass off if you want me." She glanced at him and his slightly hurt profile before sighing, she had been doing that a lot lately. "Well, I'm more attracted to you then Marin and I like strong looking guys." She said with a casual wave as they made their way to her car.

"You do?" He asked and Asuka could now understand what Hikari said when she meant a puppy in love. Shinji dangled from every word that came out of her mouth like a life line...she liked that kind of control.

"More of the guys who look like a hard, unstoppable, warrior with shinning rippling muscles and all. Martin is lacking in that department as he does not tan well no matter what he tries. The sheen on your skin is the kind of thing I'm going for but that doesn't mean you're THE one I'm going for. Keep that in mind, Ikari." She said opening her door and sitting down in the drivers seat. "Need a ride?" She asked standing back up to look at him properly.

Shinji came down from his joy of being the type of man Asuka wanted to address her question. He simply shook his head with a soft smile. "Nah, I promised Toji I'd be picked up here to go off to see the late night showing of reality ball." He answered apologetically.

Asuka sat back down in the car heavily at that. "I would go and see that but the warriors and the greenblades are low time league teams. I'm a Genesis supporter, you know, the NERV team." She eyed him and his knowledge of the teams and the sport.

He nodded sheepishly. "Toji called me a glory seeker because they have won so many games and have all the best players. Every time the word Genesis is heard in his vicinity he freaks out." He chuckled, closing the door for her and being careful not to trap her white dress. He ignored her mumbles and leaned against the door frame as she lowered the window.

"Ahem, Thank you for the amazing night, Shinji. I really do appreciate it, you never know when the chance will be taken from you and who knows when my next will be."

"I know what you mean, I'm just glad you enjoyed yourself and I'm very pleased we actually made a lot of conversation. At least I know what I've got to look forward to when you're mine, or at least a brief teaser of what I'll get." He started to finish.

"Good thing you take what you get, Martin would expect an image of me sucking Misato's breast as a _teaser_." She brushed her hair behind her shoulders before looking back up at him. Her expression became softer and more sincere. " I truly enjoyed the night, a Thank you doesn't quite cut it."

"No worries I fel-" He was cut off as Asuka leaned up and kissed him on the lips. It was soft, even her tongue was gentle, caressing his lips with passion Shinji could not have known existed. She sucked his upper lip into her mouth and licked it roughly with a soft moan before letting go. "Wow..."

"There you go, mmm, you taste a lot better than the last time." She said licking her lips with a wink before starting up the engine. Shinji stepped back, still blinking as his mind tried to reactivate after focusing on nothing but the kiss.

"That was intense..." He whispered to himself as she swung the car around.

"I'll see you at work, tomorrow, Shinji. If you keep impressing me then you'll get more than a simple kids kiss!" She shouted over the roar of her engine. "tschüss!" She said before gunning down the road loudly.

Shinji stood there for a few seconds as his brain worked over time to contemplate what transpired.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHOOO!! Yeah!" He screamed to the world so everyone could hear his joy, his ecstasy, his fulfilment. A horn pulled him away from his fixation of his inner victory to spot his friend Toji in his 4x4 giving him a stare that asked if Shinji should be going into mental care.

"ummm-kay......anyway, let's go, it's 0:52, the game starts in almost 40 minutes and we need seats and food and watch the cheerleaders shake their ass." He said as Shinji hopped into the car and they drove off.

"What's with you?"

"Nothing, just having a nice night out."

"With Asuka?"

"Don't say it like that, she's very nice and has a lot of knowledge. She told me to support Genesis."

"Like fuck you are!"

"But-"

"If you support them then get the fuck out of my car, I knew I should have brought Hikari, at least she could have worked me during the drive."

"What's wrong with Genesis?"

"Oh I don't know...., and what's with the sandals?"

"Huh? Oh shit!"

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Hikari watched her timer as it counted back to the minute, the pie she was making was raspberry and a new venture for her culinary skills as she sniffed the rising flavours. Toji had always mentioned about eating a pie when he was a child, one that he loved like no other, unfortunately he was too young at the time to bother to ask what it was. It was a fruit, that much he knew, and through trial and error, after eating a raspberry for the first time, he gave the thumbs up. The thumbs up meaning "Get cooking" and "I want it ready when I get back".

Not that she was going to protest, She loved cooking and Toji loved eating, it's how they had solved many problems in their relationship so far.

The door bell went and she quickly went to the door. "Hikari!" The familiar voice of Asuka came through. Hikari smiled as she opened the door for her friend who rushed in with a joyous energy.

Asuka leaped into the house and onto the sofa her body felt radiant at the moment and she was intent of simmering in it. Hikari quickly closed the door with an amused inquiring expression, before it changed to worry as the ding of the timer went off and she rushed towards the oven.

"Mmm, tonight was awesome..." She said in satisfaction, burying her head in the cushion. "Mmm" She moaned again.

Hikari took the pie from the oven in glee at the perfect result, Toji was going to be ecstatic once he got home from the game. "I understand where you are coming from, Toji is going to be so happy once he gets home!" Hikari commented back joyously.

Asuka glanced up over the sofa at Hikari who was focused on looking for any inconsistencies with the pie. "You're sure that freak won't just swallow it whole? Who knows, maybe he will taste some of it in the two seconds it will take him to swallow and digest it." She said mockingly.

Hikari pouted at Asuka, "He's not a pig, sure he likes a lot of food, but it's not like he's fat or overweight. All the calories go to his muscles, it makes him stronger and he needs the energy." Hikari tried to defend her man.

"Energy for what, Hikari? He'll be getting back at like 3 AM." Asuka asked raising a perfect eyebrow and a lecherous smile. Hikari blushed and Asuka gasped. "Oh my God, Hikari! When?" Asuka sat up and leaned over the chair towards her friend who looked away.

"...Two weeks ago..." She answered timidly.

"Hikari!" Asuka said in mock outrage at the fact her friend had held out on her. She grabbed her friends hands and pulled her to the sofa. "Tell me everything...in full detail." Asuka insisted in a no nonsense tone.

The two ended up chatting about their sex lives and their wants and needs, an area they had yet to properly explore of one another but one they eased into quite quickly.

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Five men dressed in all black military fatigues looked over a base that was crawling with soldiers in the middle of the night. Flood lights showed vehicles being moved back and forth along with hundreds of soldiers relaxing outside with not a care in the world.

One of the five had a silver badge over his shoulder and he raised a hand and swept it towards the base before patting the hand on his leg. They quickly ran down the hill they were located on, using trees and foliage as camouflage in the night. They reached the bottom of the hill to a river that rushed by unheeding to the events going on around it.

The leader tapped his head and placed a hand over his nose and his men quickly pulled infra red goggles out and onto their head along with gas masks to go over there balaclavas. The leader held out both fists and punched them together and pointed at one guard tower before smacking his hands on his head and chest. The other four nodded and two went towards the guard tower on their right and the leader and the other two went towards the power station on the left.

They moved fast but with grace, creating little sound and using the shadows whenever possible and taking cover whenever spotlights would pass by. The two headed for the guard tower, pausing around a boulder for cover while looking at it. One of the two threw a rock at the spotlight causing the user and spotter to look around confused while signalling to the others of the oddity. They spoke quickly in their Chinese tongue as orders for dogs to be sent out were being passed along. The two spec ops soldiers quickly ran up to the fence and then laid down prone, the spotlight going over them but the spotter was looking out for something more than the simple forms laying in the grass, his mind looking out for a higher activity level. The two quickly pulled out pliers and started cutting the fence while stopping every time the light moved towards them.

Over on the left side, the leader and the two others had dug under the fence and were crawling under to the other side. The leader pulled out a silenced pistol and quickly crept to the security station monitoring the camera's of the power grid. He pressed himself against the door, slowly turned the handle and pushed the door in very slowly. A man was watching the monitors, well one, on the screen was a pornographic scene and the odd breathing from the man suggested what he was doing.

The spec ops leader waited silently as he gently closed the door. He until the man reached his climax and in that instance he put a bullet in the back of his head. _Best way to die_ He told himself before looking outside to see his men setting C4 charges on the conductivity links and generators. The detonation of the guard tower on the other end of the 120 acre base was a signal for them to detonate the power supply of half of the Chinese base. The leader covered his ears as the small but powerful explosions went off followed by extremely powerful electrical discharges that hit his soldiers a few times but they shrugged it off thanks to all the rubber they was wearing. The two ran up to join him as he opened up a communications channel from his earpiece. "Move the army in, we'll have this base in a few days."

"Roger that spec ops 3, you can pull back and let us handle the rest."

"Negative, permission to stay and help in the assault?" He asked and his men nodded their consent.

A pause

"Permission granted, got get 'em Captain Ross."

Ross looked up and smiled under his Balaclava. Everything was going just as the planned, next was Japan, Tokyo-3,...NERV.

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You're wondering why this is so late, simple really, I broke my wrist and then went on holiday on the 5th. That's pretty much it, I broke my wrist trying to be clever and proving to everyone that I could jump off a small bidding without breaking anything. Lost that bet and the dick heads had the cheek to ask for the money!

SHOUT OUTS!

Sith-Knight Galen: Yeah, it was a crap birthday, couldn't leave the house to do anything just watch tv while my consoles and PC begged to be touched. I wouldn't say the U.S military as an individual, they are more of a sword arm then a body, it's whose in control of the body which is the question. As for unit 01, a bit more complicated than you speculated.

Daetor: I agree on the Misato thing, I always thought that was what made her character so interesting and so mandatory to the story and I knew I could not take that away.

Yes there is something going on between them, of course dating a fellow office is against regulations so there is something juggling around the relationship but I will advance it later on in the story.

Yeah the Evangelion scene was hard to think up but I thought about how this could work for a long time now and I decided what would work and what would happen if he did succeed. Evangelion's mostly go berserk for reasons that are their own so you'll figure you out later in the story.

In actual truth the Coil can range depending on how big the skeleton will become and I did mention that the body tries to adapt to the sex of the soul so height and weight may be altered as well. I don't know how big Evas are, I'm guessing 100 meters.

All your questions will start to be answered in chapter 8 when the war in Tokyo kicks off.

Like the story mentions, along with Alex, the coil won't survive, they're just going to see how it operates and the key points to work on. I think all scientists have a family or no life, no in between, they are like anybody, just their skills can be used for military purpose, no matter how inhumane.

Thanks everyone!

Thanks go to Rahell for beta and the German additions into the story.

Not sure when the next update will be, all I know is it will be before the 20th of november.


	8. A Dog Is A Dog, Blood Thicker Than Water

**A dog is a dog, Blood is thicker than water.**

Drake scratched his head as he looked over the readings for the Coil. The readings were good at this point in time, no intense fluctuations in alpha or beta waves and the components for the Coil were working above 70% after the donning and synchronisation of the Ouroboros bands to keep its multiple body pieces banded together.

Drake had been so worried about it remaining in one piece, he practically fainted when the Coil lurched as it was strapped to an Evangelion carrier. After fussing over a very slow take off, the crew had hopped onto another air craft where their equipment and monitoring gear.

"James, I need an update on the chemical compound of M2, keep up the Rohypnol." Drake checked the readings noticing a subtle spike in brain activity. "I want the Benzodiazepines ready for injection if there is any sign the Coil might enter a high level of panic." Drake said as he took a sheet from James. Like Drake, James was being blackmailed into doing this project along with a few other illegal and inhumane projects.

Drake and his main crew of scientists were few in numbers as they oversaw the direction of other parts of the project as well as their internal management. There were ten of them and all of them, apart from John Howard of resource management and Kim Rogers of weaponry, were on the plane taking the Coil to China for its first battle.

Drake glanced over at the Coil with a mixture of sadness and pride. After the attachment of The Ouroboros bands onto the Coil, the Coil showed a huge spike in regenerative and endurance capabilities. This new development pushed the time of the Coil's active battle participation up by a day.

Drake moved up to the front of the aircraft to the front view screen to look at his coil being carried in front of their air craft with a dozen F-22 Raptors and, at his request, two T-RIDEN-T Land and air cruisers. The Coil looked disgusting. It looked like Frankenstein's monster, composed of mismatched parts. Worst of all, the simile was very accurate. Donner, soldiers, civilians, animals, marine creatures, you name it, anything organic was used to make the beast.

It was humanoid with a body that was a mixture of masculine and feminine, Ideal, in military aspect. Taking the great parts of a woman's flexibility and manoeuvrability to a man's strength and durability. However, the thing was practically naked, no armour to protect it or weapons to fight with. The beast was a prototype, and if it succeeded the mass production of a dozen Coils would be under way.

The thought made Drake shudder and turn away. He had become a scientist to better humanity, however, this was defilement of that ideal. He wondered about whatever happened to his dreams of solving diseases, saving lives, advancing human vitality? The General and his H.I.C group had happened. The scum of the earth banding together to band humanity together. For the greater good, they professed.

Drake looked back at the Coil with sombre eyes. "Save humanity with inhumane tactics...there's something wrongly amusing about that," he said to himself.

"Drake?" James called to him in wonder.

Drake shook his head, glanced at the Coil and then got back to work. He had humanity to destroy.

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Asuka walked down the hall into the NERV combat operations command centre with a stern face. She had received the message while filing her nails after a nice bath to hear of the sudden attack in China.

Asuka was not angry, she was actually relieved it had happened, the suppressed tension hanging around the globe was starting to grate on her nerves, however, she could not do anything about it, not until the enemy presented themselves.

"Status" She asked Hyuga who was sitting at his terminal with the other bridge bunnies. Comically, they were dressed in normal dress and not their NERV uniforms as they had been called during their off time. Shigeru had even brought his acoustic guitar and set it underneath the terminal.

"A large force has attacked Taiwan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Yunnan and Tibet," he replied

"Who's attacking?" Asuka questioned

"We don't know, the attacking forces are identified as wearing black, red and have no markings. Do you think it could be U.S military forces like before but just in disguise?" Maya asked

Asuka shook her head. "Doubtful, I doubt the U.S forces would attack Israel with no qualms about showing their faces but not here. Unless..." Asuka paused

"Unless...?" A voice from above asked. Asuka looked up to the overlooking commander's seat at Misato and the standing Kurokari.

"…Unless they have something to profit from by not pissing off the Chinese. What are their armaments?" Asuka turned back to the holographic display showing a map with Chinese and unknown forces engaging one another.

"A mixture" Shigeru said shaking his head. "Chinese, Australian, American, European. They're really covering their asses on this one. Maybe they plan to attack and then blame the assault on someone else?" He guessed.

"I would think the same, but the force is way too big for just an excuse to label someone as the culprit." Asuka said leaning forwards over Hyuga's shoulder. "Make sure you record all of this, get an investigation prepared and find out how the other nations are responding to this," she ordered and he nodded with a smirk. Asuka was almost like Misato back in the day.

"Any word from China?" Misato asked.

"None at this time, they just announced that they would push back the invaders and no one should interfere unless given expressed permission. If someone breaches this they'll be classified as enemies." Maya informed her.

"Understood, we'll go to second stage alert and prepare Evangelion 02 and 03 for launch!" Asuka ordered to the entire command crew of hundreds.

There was a long pause as everyone processed her words. This was it; five years of fighting H.I.C had lead up to this point. How long had it been since the Eva's had been sortiedsorted? How hard had they tried to prevent H.I.C from getting this far? How many close calls had they faced? Not enough. Not enough to prevent what was now happening. It did not mean, however, that it could not be stopped, far from it, NERV was the strongest it had ever been and with a force rivalling that of the U.S military, it was as ready as it was ever going to be.

"Get it done!" Asuka shouted, waking them all up and setting them into motion.

"Contacting Suzuhara-kunsan." Maya said

"Preparations for the Evangelion and their transport will be finished in two hours." Aoba called out.

"Shall we prepare our own military forces?" Hyuga asked

"No, we'll be fine like this. I want to hold back the military forces as much as possible. If we can, I want this event to be considered at least a one off when we're done. Tell the Chinese government of our combat readiness, we'll be waiting for their call." Asuka replied.

"Roger that."

"Shinji and Loroko?" Misato asked.

Asuka looked up and smirked. "Who needs that baka, and Loroko just received 04, we haven't had an actual synch test with it. Me and Toji should be enough," she said before thinking it over. "By the way, mobilise a small force of support craft, I don't want to be alone down there," she ordered

"Is the invincible Asuka afraid to take on the world on her own?" A voice asked from behind her.

Asuka turned around to see Shinji in his new NERV uniform smiling at her. "Hmph" Was her response as she flicked her hair at him in dismissal. "I'm am invincible, I just felt it wouldn't be good to baby sit Toji when I could be out in the front, he'll probably kill himself before anyone else," she said dismissively.

Shinji's face turned sour at her words. "Is-is Toji ready for that...is he ready to kill?" He asked with concern for his friend. Shinji knew he himself could handle it; however, Toji was something else entirely. He was tough, but was it only an external attribute, not an internal one.

Asuka frowned at Shinji and shook her head, folding her arms at him. "Toji's been through more than you could believe, Shinji. You should sit down and talk to him, find out for yourself," she said turning her back to him.

Shinji just stared at her back in confusion before blinking it away. "And what about you?" He asked seriously.

"The same," she said simply.

"That's not what I'm talking about; I'm talking about you going on your own with just Toji..," he corrected her.

She looked over shoulder. "And what if I wasn't, what if I was just a helpless princess going into battle without a lick of confidence? Would the invincible fucking Shinji save me?" She asked him with a hint of sarcasm.

"I...!" He began.

"Shinji." Was Misato's call causing Shinji to stop and look at her before looking at Asuka and then the ground in defeat. Asuka frowned at Shinji.

"The hell!" Everyone looked to Aoba.

"What?" Asuka demanded.

"Chinese military forces are telling us to pull back our Evangelion transportation and escort! We didn't even begin the fuelling of the transport and escort force let alone reach China," he replied

"No..." Asuka whispered biting her lip. She leaned forward to the base COM. "Cut the preparation time down to an hour I want the Evangelion ready to go as soon as posible, prepare sphinx Cardioid chambers to the list of equipment in the escort craft," she ordered, upping the pressure felt through the bridge.

"Sphinx what?" Shinji asked

"Devices that detect impulses that can confirm if there is an Angel or Evangelion entity and records those waves in their original format for later data analysis." Misato said, "It is only meant to be deployed if we believe a weapon comparable to Evangelion exists."

"So basically, a device that captures angel or Eva-like beings?" Shinji looked to the floor as he thought. "Then that means...I'm coming with you," he said to Asuka who was prioritising shortening preparations.

"What!" her head snapped round. "In Evangelion 01? I would never have thought you'd fight in it again!" she said shocked and happy.

"I'm not; I just want to see it for myself, this monster that might mean the end for us; the thing that forced me away from my life in Rio Grande Do Sul. The one thing the H.I.C must need for whatever fucked up plan of theirs they wish to accomplish," he said forcefully, causing Asuka to recoil a bit before straightening and forming an ice cold expression.

"Fine, however, Evangelion 01 comes with us or you don't at all," she cut him off before he could object. "I'm not asking you to fight or anything, however, if push comes to shove I want someone who can safely bail Toji out. Not to mention you'd be waste of space otherwise...deal?"

Shinji stared into her glowing blue eyes before closing his eyes and nodding.

"Huh?" Asuka prompted. "You're part of NERV now and I am your commanding officer, meaning I'm waiting to hear something from you," she said leaning to him with a hand by her ear as if listening out for something.

"I understand...Ma'am," he said with a heavy sigh.

"Good, get ready for launch," she dismissed him. Shinji turned and started to walk away, not exactly without a degree of chagrin. "Oh and Shinji…" He looked back. "…Don't forget to put on your plug suit," she said with a little smirk before returning to the task at hand.

Misato and Kurokari watched him go. "What do you think, Commander?" Kurokari asked Misato.

"I think you'll be able to see the invincible Shinji again," she replied nonchalantly.

"The real question is if that will be a good thing," he added.

"Hmm..."

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**Hong Kong**

"Fire!"

A dozen missiles launched from a MRLS launch system vehicle and lanced off into the black smoked sky to descend into a tall white building and explode on impact. Plumes of smoke and debris blasted from the impact destroying the beauty of the carefully constructed skyscraper.

The MRLS were preparing another salvo when a squad of soldiers came out of the forest and eliminated the black and red soldiers guarding the war machine. A Chinese tank rolled out behind them and discharged a 75 mm slug into MRLS, effectively disabling the enemy vehicle.

Not far away, a totalled tram bus was being used as a forward communications centre. Captain Ross sat inside the bus with 30 men sitting on seats looking over battle data and updates as he had command of front lines soldiers breaking into Hong Kong. It seemed the Chinese Liberation army of Hong Kong were now active and were beginning to give his invading forces serious resistance.

"Tell group 12 through to 19 to slip behind their defence line by going through the sewage system," he ordered running a hand through his shaven hair before moving over to look at a display. "Tactical, where's my heavy armaments?" he questioned over his com unit to HQ command.

"There'll be there in 30 minutes, a building fell down and blocked the route we had planned out. They're under heavy fire at the moment so expect them to bring you some heat," a female voice replied.

"Roger that, Tac," he said before turning to his forward command staff. "Get platoon 2a and nova down here, we're expecting company once the heavy guns get here."

There were signs of approval before someone shouted.

"Shit, sir, reco-" He was cut off as Ross held up a hand and Tactical jumped in.

" A full battalion is headed from Tibet to your location," the tactical officer urgently informed him.

"What about our forces attacking Tibet?" Ross asked in slight shock. The forces in Tibet should have held out for another three hours.

"The Chinese army had two T-RIDEN-Ts, a gift from NERV we suspect, they always had good relations but this was unexpected." She sounded surprised as well.

How in the hell did the Chinese hide that under the U.N. radar and how did NERV figure out that China was a likely target for attack? Did they also know about their attack on Israel?

"And our own strategic tactical weaponry, when will it arrive?" Ross was seriously having second thoughts about the success of the battle. The losses would not be an acceptable cost for the quick defeat that would come if they did not do something about those T. that the Chinese had in their forces.

"Thankfully, the new weapon along with two T-RIDEN-T units will arrive ten minutes before the Tibet forces. It will be tough and close, you've got the whole of China coming for you," she said before cutting the com link.

"Fuck…" he whispered, he always knew this battle would be big but the level was more than he expected. Hell he was hoping for artillery at the highest possible level and then the arrival of the Coil which he doubted he would need, however this was stepping things up to a much higher stake than he thought he would ever see.

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"Drake, preparations complete, the Coil is ready to deploy." James said with excitement, concern and something else in his eyes that Drake could not quite place his finger on.

"Understood, launch the 20 propeller cams and activate the external cameras on the air craft," he inhaled deeply before picking up a phone a dialling a short number.

"Hello?" asked the gruff voice on the other end of the line

"It's ready..." Drake said coldly.

A pause followed over the line for a moment and Drake was starting to get nervous at the pause but waited.

"Oh! Drake, sorry about that buddy, didn't realise it was you," the General said back over the line.

"I'm not your buddy," he replied with as much venom as he could muster, almost spitting out the words. "It's ready, where do you want it?"

"I'll patch you through to captain Ross, he's in charge of forward ops. Oh, and Drake?" Drake held in a breath as he was hoping the General would just shut up and go, "Good luck my friend, I'll be sure to celebrate the success of today's test run."

Drake let out a boiling breath of air to try and calm him down. "Ross here, is this the head of the development team for the Tac-Stra weapon?" A younger yet rapier voice asked over the line.

"Tac-Stra?" Drake questioned back never hearing the term before.

"Tactical and/or strategical weapons, such as Evangelion which falls into both categories." Ross replied "Now, I need it at Tango Bravo 159 Delta, be advised your escorts are coming to back me up. No air craft, they use anti-air vehicles and armaments. Can you send it in on...foot?" Ross asked while it sounded like he was rustling with something before gun fire broke out over the line.

"Yes, we'll deploy it now and send it your way, ETA..." Drake looked up at his map and made a few quick calculations. "1 minute 30 seconds." Drake informed Ross, raising his voice a little over the gunfire in the background.

"Roger that!" Ross shouted before the sound of multiple explosions rippled in the background.

Drake cut the call and turned to James with a thumbs-up.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The Coil was disengaged 2000 feet above land before landing with a great thump and a huge precession like explosion from impact. The coil stood straight a white hockey mask-like covering over its face and silver bands around its legs, arms and neck. Ouroboros bands were being used to keep the multiple body parts together to stop them from falling apart. A strange gargled moan came from the beast before its chest expanded as it took in air before its ribs sprouted out of its chest and then shook as a tremendous roar ripped from its chest and rumbled the very earth itself in its grotesque terror.

The Coil stretched back with thousands of audible snaps and cracks, bones ripping and prickling forth from its body before it snapped forward with an overly immense amount of saliva pooling from underneath the mask. As soon as the saliva hit the concrete below it turned to streets into a steaming, melting abnormality. A screech came from underneath the mask as it leaned forward before jumping high up into the air.

Newspapers, clothing and litter flew up behind it as glass from buildings was shattered to pieces as the amount of air trying to catch up with the Coil was equal to many tons. The coil flipped in the air, seemingly a slow movement to human eyes; however, the action was surprisingly quick for its size.

It landed again with another earth shuddering impact before screeching from its mouth and charging forward in a berserk like state. It smashed through buildings, stepped on cars, passed through streets, destroyed highways and decimated houses in its blind and stumbling rage as it approached its 10 mile away target in a matter of seconds.

It punched itself in the face and then the side of the head before pounding the ground with its feet like an angry child in a fit. Ross' bus was directly between its feet while this was going on and had launched the vehicle into the air multiple times before it landed with a smash and debilitating crunch.

Ross rolled out of the bus in a bloody mess, left arm severed and being held to his body by a thin piece of skin and his sleeve. He looked up in pain before pointing a targeting receiver at the enemy Tibet forces. He held onto the tagging device before the Coil rushed off into a few buildings in a blind storm of rage. He dropped the tagger and pulled a wire attached to his boot before relaxing back on the floor. He pulled out an analgesic rope and started chewing on it to help combat the pain while he waited for aid.

Ross glanced over to where the Coil had charged off just as he heard a roar that sent such a horrible feeling through him that set his mind into a momentary panic. He reasoned himself to calm down as tears rolled down his face, his brain trying deal with the stress the Coil was bringing about. He shook his head and sat up as two of his tech soldiers stumbled out of the bus in obvious pain before moving over to him.

Not a word was said as the terrible screams from the Coil rumbled through them and the horrible vibrations of the beast in the rampage could be felt as the Coil had moved out of sight. "This is in-fucking-sane," one of the techs said beside him as they sat there, chewing numbly on their analgesic ropes numbly as their bodies started going numb. Ross could not decide if that was from blood loss or the analgesic, he was just happy that he could feel no more pain and it helped relaxed his brain from the terror he could feel being unleashed on the Chinese.

He smirked a little. "Mission accomplished," he said lighting up with his working arm.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Holy shit!" Hyuga shouted from his terminal. "I-I can't believe it, it's confirmed, it's confirmed! A Tac-Stra class weapon has been confirmed eliminating forces in China. The Chinese government is asking for immediate support from NERV!" He read from his screen.

Misato smirked "You hear that, Asuka?" Misato called over the line with an impressed smile, "A good thing we decided to set out before hand."

"_We?_ This was all my idea. I knew this was going to happen so I made the best call." Asuka said over communications to the bridge. Asuka had seemed to have been fed up with waiting and as soon as the three Evangelion were prepared, she had gotten the pilots ready and in the Evas. Albeit, Shinji did not enter unit 01. He steadfastly refused to go near it and opted, at the very least, to go in the transport craft of unit 01.

"And if China had everything under control? What then?" Misato asked in an almost mock serious tone that was too faint for Asuka to judge either one.

"They wouldn't have." was the serious words spoken back.

Misato straightened back and Kurokari glanced at her noticing the defensive posture she took up. "And why, may I ask, not?" She asked with clear sarcasm in her speech. "Was it a hunch, perhaps?" she guessed while those listening cringed at the escalating tension. When Misato and Asuka fought with tongues and claws, it was like being in the middle of two second impacts.

As if riding on the words instead of the hidden meaning Asuka simply carried on without pause. "No, nothing as unreliable as that."

Misato scowled at that, hating she was being toyed with over live communications so the whole bridge staff could hear. "What then?"

"Women's intuition"

The hall room faltered at that and Misato heaved a sigh and rubbed her temples. "What the fuck?" Toji said over the line. "How the hell is women's intuition more reliable then a hunch?"

"You wouldn't understand. Men don't have intuition because they have no sense," Asuka fired back over the communications.

"Yeah right, in every argument I have with you, you bring up shit that has nothing to do with the argument," he defended.

"Shut up, at least my performance is top notch, not only as a pilot but also in other areas. However, from what I hear from Hikari, you're quite lacking." There was evil amusement in that comment and snickers echoed around the room.

"See! You just took it somewhere else just to win the argument!"

"Cut the chatter, use this time to consider a battle plan and how we're going to help the Chinese in pushing away the invaders!" Kurokari shouted, silencing all talk and comments therein after. "Ahem, now Captain, I'm sure you have a battle plan, correct?" he asked, jumping straight into business. Misato was glad she had Kurokari there, she knew she would have let the _battle royale_ continue, it would have been really interesting to see Shinji get involved.

"That's correct," was the delayed response from Asuka as she muttered a threat to Toji. Toji had muttered in response, "Any day, bitch..." before focusing back on the matter at hand. "Toji and I will drop into the city with Toji going directly for the enemy Tac-Stra and myself coordinating with the Chinese liberation army as well as subduing any heavy artillery or weaponry." She cleared her throat and someone in the bridge took the cue to bring up a representation of a map of China.

On the map one black arrow with the letters 03 above it moved straight on into the heart of Hong Kong to intercept a red unknown. A red arrow with green outlines moved to the right and curved around a mountain towards reforming green forces of the CLA or Chinese Liberation army.

"As the enemy are attacking in a number of locations, it is best to assume they are all for domination instead of a singular objective. We'll work to crush the invaders attacking major key points such as the communications and server data banks in Beijing, the trading and storage of food supplies in Shanghai, the power factories and nuclear plants in Quinghai and the Chinese office of state in Sichuan," she continued with corresponding circles appearing around areas on the map. "They'll need to go through Shanghai to get to Beijing. They would also need to get to Quinghai through Tibet but the CLA forces there defeated the invaders. Alternatively the enemy Tac-Stra unit could rampage its way to Quinghai but Toji should be able to handle it," she finished with a nod of approval from Misato.

"And the investigation?" Kurokari asked, referring to the investigation of the invader's identity, what they wanted, where they were stationed, how they became so resourceful.

"Jack Steinbeck is handling that with a dozen Spec-ops teams landing under the radar off Zhejiang. We cannot let the Chinese know we have other forces arriving." A pause. "I'm not against the Chinese but..."

"But their communications may not be secure and we'll lose secrecy, right?" Shinji's voice interjected. It was the first time Shinji had spoken during the communications discussion. Misato was worried about him; he had never been in this kind of operation before. The battle of NERV over six years ago was another story and he practically had no battle participation whatsoever. The stakes, though not arguably higher, were still crucial in not causing harder problems in the future.

"That's right, baka, and don't cut me off again, its rude and disrespectful to your superiors," she ordered him and his sigh could be heard over the line.

"Asuka-" Toji began

"Shut up, Suzuhara, or I'll make Hikari cut you like a fish. Enough with the chatter, we're entering Chinese airspace soon, from now all conversation is on topic and on topic only, understood?" A long pause "Understood!" She almost screamed and the whole bridge crew of hundreds screamed out their acknowledgement, Shinji and Toji included.

"Well then," she said, making a complete 180 turn in her attitude that was so fast Shinji was surprised there was no kind of mental whiplash. "We'll go communication silent from NERV HQ and use short wave frequencies until we enter the battlefield. Once we do, we go to on field level 1 readiness. Command, please be sure to update us as frequently as possible on as many developments as you can, and while you're at it, can you scan the seas around China?" she asked.

"Seas? Why?" Maya replied.

"Just women's intuition," she said simply making Maya smile and shake her head.

"You mean bullshit!" Toji shouted

"What did I-" The connection was cut before it could start off again.

Misato was slightly surprised by the abrupt end and looked over to Kurokari who had his hand over the disconnect switch. He leaned back and shook his head. "Still children," he grumbled in resignation.

Misato leaned back as well and held out her arms to her side in an imitation of Kaji's defeat gesture. "At least they're old enough to change their own clothes," she said with a wink. "However, not old enough to have control over their emotions, no?"

"A symbol of youth, eh?" he replied with a upraised eyebrow and a mirthful expression, "I guess we must be ancient then."

"We!? I stopped ageing at 25!" She said with a giggle and he with a chuckle while the bridge staff shook their head their commander.

Little did most of them know, it was just a guise above the tension and nervousness they were all feeling. No one had said it, but the nightmare of six years ago was happening again, and Tokyo was not the first serve on the menu.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yes, yes, yes, I understand....will the Coils be succesful?"

A long pause

"I see, I'll be on the look out on my end...okay, bye"

"Rodriguez!" Axel jumped as he reached for his side arm under his seat before stopping at the sight of Maria. She ran up to him with a pale complexion and shock etched onto her face.

"Maria, What's wrong, what are you doing here, did something happen in the village?" He asked. The last time he saw Maria in such a state was when lightning hit the oil depot and razed half the village in a second. It was devastating and took them years to rebuild and find another source of income apart from oil.

"5 men, they came and started asking question about you and Shinji. Dad stood up to them because they were getting rough..." She paused as Axel pulled out a semi automatic shotgun and loaded it. "One of them shot dad in the leg...what are you doing?" she asked despite the obviousness of the situation.

"Hunting..."

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**Authors notes.**

Long time no see...7 months? A bit more, sorry, don't have an excuse. I just got from off my timetable and once I lose consistency...(for example, not work to my deadlines) Then I get thrown off and never remind myself to continue or I do and I get distracted.

I'm not going to waste to much time explaining myself other than I'm back on track and I'll be back with keeping to my deadlines.

Now before I give the next deadline I want to do the good old shout outs!

Daetor, your last as always.

**Sephiroth2004: **I'm glad the story has piqued your interest. I personally don't like reading stories where they are older but it's an age I can relate to and they have a more developed character I can work with. Some say there is no challenge if you don't keep their age but I think that the presentation of the fanfic is really what decides that.

I'm not sure about you, but I always feel that fanfics of future NGE is always ignorant of the things that happened at the end of NGE, how that affected them and how the world responds. I mentioned about Asuka's suicide attempts and a lot of bad things that happened to the NERV staff. That will be seen soon either as a very lengthy chapter or two chapters.

So keep reading, I like to pay attention to characters and look at things that develop them. Specifically Kensuke and his wife who is very, very significant to Shinji and the story though it will be a few chapters before you actually see her.

**Rotten Core: **Lol, Shinji might, or the other way round, I don't want to give too much away but after there confrontation with one another, things get a lot darker.

Thank you, I still need to go back and polish this up but that won't happen till Chapter 15 where this first book ends.

**SithKnight-Galen: **Glad you liked the chapter though this one is noticeably shorter...I don't know why though, when I was looking through it in the plan, it was actually meant to be 20 pages but I somehow ended up having half that.

Shinji and Asuka...hmmm, don't get your hopes up...*bites lip and winces* ...yeah...

And just to inform you that NERV won't be touched in this book...not much of a spoiler, at least not mass attack but some things will go down in Tokyo.

**Daetor: ***Inhales and breathes out.* I'm glad the Shinji/Asuka interaction and ten chapters for them to get together. *Breaks out into hysterical laughter* Anyway, yeah, they'll get together...

Ah yeas, the back end of Tokyo, the low lives...they are very influential but to whom...

Yep, the war has begun and if you've noticed, I'm being very cryptic in this chapter about a lot of things, mainly because you'll see the real battle in Asuka's eyes and just how big it is. China is no small place to try and conquer and doubly so for defending it...damn.

As for the German...not sure what you were translating, but neither am I because the German guy who did it for me....when he beta read for me he changed a lot of stuff under the radr. Instead of tentacl it would be testicle...yeah...I hope he didn't fuck it up but I trust him...(Silence)

Yeah, the battle has begun, but like I said, cryptic in this chapter, a lot more detail and gore in the next. And you will see more of Ross, and hey, give the security officer a break, he probably hasn't had any for years, lol.

Yeah, the jumping thing...me and my bets, I've got too much pride to loose...

Anyway, can't wait to hear from you.

**End shout outs.**

Remember everyone, if you review I will make a point to respond to you. That doesn't sound right, I mean if you want to review. I'll still get my chapters out, the fact I have feedback from anyone is great enough for me.

That's it...and before I forget.

Next update will be on the 30th-June 1st as it may take my new beta sometime. She is a Godsend, Thanks to FrogBISCUIT for being an awesome beta. She's amazing, badass beta, check her out, I'm not sure if she does multiple betas at once or just takes up one but if she does do multiple then you may want to consider her, she's excellent.

Thanks frogBISCUIT!

**Next chapter: 06/01/2009 **


	9. Life's Coil

**Life's Coil**

**Chinese Airspace, entering Hong Kong.**

Three VTOL Evangelion flyers entered Chinese airspace and banked right, altering their course to Beijing. The whine of their thrusters was deafening as the air craft passed over the terrain underneath.

"Holy mother of God, Shinji, can you see this?" Toji said from Evangelion 03.

Shinji had been listening to Ritsuko's audio manual on the read outs and so on that he would have to monitor in order to keep up with the Evangelion's logistics. It was only because there were some odd frequencies that weakened NERV HQ's control over Eva from a distance away that had put Shinji in the role. Thankfully he had been studying this type of job for a while and the Angel Wars also helped give him a better understanding on what he was looking out for.

Shinji looked over to the monitor on the wall in the hangar and was surprised at his own lack of response to the scene before him. Had the Angel Wars really done so much to his innocence and enhanced his toleration of these images? He had to wonder if that was a good or bad thing, he could understand the need for such steel in the coming battles that he knew he would have to witness, but what about in the long run?

The city of Hong Kong was a battle ground. Huge, monstrous clouds of smoke billowed into the air from across the city making Shinji's stomach sick at the thought of what it was doing to the ozone. The city's lights were still operating, but they were not needed; the flames engulfing buildings and cars were enough of a light source to create a thick layer of polution across China. Thousands of civilians were moving around towards different military checkpoints or were swarming the streets looking for a way out of the hellish nightmare that was overtaking their city.

Shinji watched as several aircraft swooped past a group of black tanks before they were covered in huge explosions of fire and smoke, dozens of pieces of armour and body parts went flying in every direction. Shinji was surprised to see the tanks still mobile... until another air raid eradicated them in flame a destructive force.

"ETA to rendezvous in 5 minutes!" the pilot said over the communications.

Shinji took a deep breath and shook his head. His stomach was turning and he knew it was not because of the flight. How many years had it been since he went into a combat situation, how many years had he last seen dead or dying men and women? Almost six, and those six years had been one hell of a gap between then and now.

He chuckled darkly, he remembered a time when going into battle was boring because he felt it pointless, there was nothing to gain only something to do; only something he was told to do. He could not decide which was worse, then or now? In a way, it was more back in the Angel Wars when his loss would mean the end of the world, however this...

He pinched his nose and began tapping his leg. He needed a distraction, something.

"Asuka, where are we going and what are we going to do there?" he asked knowing that Asuka was his only help in that regard (Toji was making noises to accompany what he saw, such as "Oooo!" for a man being blown up, or a "Damn!" for a building being levelled).

Asuka's screen popped up. She was sitting in her entry plug, plug suit and all, arms folded across her chest and with a slightly distracted look on her face. She looked very serious and Shinji started to feel more of the weight on the approaching situation. "We're going to land in Beijing where there's a forward command centre with General Ren-Young in command. Once we link up there I'll assess the situation and act accordingly. More than likely, I'll send Toji to handle the capture or destruction of the Tacstra class weapon while I'll handle the actual war front. Chances are you'll be my eyes and ears; I want you to study the enemy Tacstra as much as possible and keep me updated. In the unlikely event that Toji is defeated..," she let the statement hang, staring at Shinji pointedly and he firmed his jaw trying not to look indecisive.

"I-I understand," he said with a heavy sigh, looking to the ground, hand clenching and unclenching. He looked up at Asuka through his bangs and was surprised to see Asuka looking at him sympathetically... or it could be with disappointment?

"Beginning to land!" the pilot said.

"Roger that, Shinji stay in the VTOL. Toji, you stay put too, you may need to go right away. I'm going to confer with Ren-Young," she said as her plug began to drain and started to put on some overalls. Understandably, you could not be taken seriously in skin tight clothes, more so if you were as voluptuous as Asuka was.

"Hey, Shinji!" Shinji turned to Toji's voice. "Don't worry. Asuka may be a bitch, but she's good at this kind of thing," he told him as Shinji watched Asuka's Unit 02 land with a loud quake.

"Why does it sound like you've been in this situation before?" he replied. He had been getting a lot of hints that NERV, or at least Toji and Asuka had been in combat during those five years of peace. Shinji used to be indifferent to other peoples' affairs unless they concerned him. Why worry about something you have nothing to do with or you cannot change, was the reasoning. However, he was older now, and he had a special bond with his friends that demanded his attention in this matter, whether it was in the past present or future. He was not sure when such strong feelings had fully surfaced but he recognized them and their worth for the strengthening of their friendships.

"I wish I could tell you, though you'll have to ask Asuka, I don't remember much and she was the one that saved us," Toji supplied. More questions than answers was how it went and this was no exception. They both became silent when Asuka waved at Unit 03 to be deployed. "All right, Shin-man, I'll see ya later! Wish me luck!"

"You lazy bastard, make your own luck!" Shinji called back making Toji chuckle before he disconnected with Unit 03 which dropped from its VTOL.

Shinji chuckled softly to himself in both humour and sadness. His friends were going to battle while he sat safe and away from them in the clouds. He looked over to the observer which had the plug of Unit 01 ready for insertion. This predicament was all too familiar. The only difference was that Kaji was not there to make him step up and fight with his friends.

Shinji kicked the table he was seated by and stood up, teeth gritting and hands clenching and unclenching. Who was he kidding, he was old enough to not need Kaji to tell him what he had to do, however, that in itself was the problem. So many years of not fighting and relaxing after so many battles in the past where he was told what to do instead of doing it himself. It was completely different now, he was an adult now, and he made the choices. He decided whether or not he fought or did not.

In all his weakness, not wanting to pilot Eva unless he had to, he had resigned to only going out to the nightmare if his friends were in danger.

He chuckled at that and then laughed. He was doing it again, throwing away the choice, only leaving it to fate, to the point he knew would probably come as it always did. What was pathetic about it all was that he would probably save thousands more lives and also give a better chance of winning against the invaders if he just piloted the thing right now.

What was his excuse?

"I don't want to pilot Eva... I sound like a selfish spoiled brat who doesn't give a shit about his friends!" He screamed before punching the interior. "Damn it!"

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Toji slammed down into a landing pad, a ring of dust spreading out from his landing and swept across the forward base. Toji glanced around the area to see it was fairly untouched, they were not at an actual military base; instead they were stationed inside a large area of buildings devoted to the servers that housed China's census information. These were crucial to Chinese independence and technology and probably the most important place to defend.

Toji scanned ahead to see Evangelion Unit 02 crouched in front of the largest six story building in the vicinity. Thousands of Chinese soldiers swarmed the area, preparing weapons and defences while ushering in and out cargo suppliers and transport craft from the multiple heliports around. He watched as a line of over fifty tanks started to roll out of the Server bank area of Beijing and started heading west to reinforce Shanghai. Helicopters and a few VTOLs began landing, diving and ducking the multiple satellite dishes around the area to drop off soldiers and pick more up.

Toji had never been present for the battle for NERV five years ago which caused him to be mesmerized by the sight of a huge mobilization of troops and vehicles. However, he knew the battle for NERV was on a different level; actually, all the battles in Tokyo 3 had been of a different intensity.

"Toji!" Toji jumped and looked to his right as a sound only screen popped up with Asuka's voice coming through. "You better keep your head out of the clouds, things are about to go up a notch," she said to him.

Toji leaned forward and glanced around as about 3 dozen Jeeps and other medium to light vehicles started to speed out of the buildings. "What's going on?" he asked. He was partly surprised by how calm he felt; maybe all those battles and drills in NERV had hardened him. He suppressed a smile. _Or all those threats of no more food from Hikari..._

"The Chinese weren't expecting the attack; the majority of the military was on leave until recently after the attack in Israel. Most of the soldiers and staff just came back not two days ago," Asuka said in rushed voice. It sounded as if she was speed walking somewhere.

"So they were caught with their pants down. Someone had this planned out," he said mostly to himself.

"Thankfully they are mobilizing in full. They shouldn't need us, however, that Tacstra weapon is wreaking havoc throughout Hong Kong. I'm not sure what we're dealing with here but I'm going to send you out," she said as the rustling and rushed speaking stopped. "Fifth floor," he heard her say, probably from an elevator.

"Don't you have any information, I mean, shouldn't there be like some Intel on this thing," he accidentally asked, accidentally because he knew he just committed a crime in Asuka's book. He was not sure what crime, however, his Asuka senses were tingling and they were never wrong.

"This isn't a fucki-" She paused making an apology to someone in the background, probably the General. "Toji, this is real life battle, not a spy movie," she said sternly.

"Yeah, I know, but still..," he carried on, he did not want to anger Asuka any more, though, the question needed to be asked, no way was he going to fight something he had no idea about when someone could just tell him.

"We don't know, we can't get anything on it," she replied as the rustling of clothes was heard and the rushed voice again. "Contact Shinji and tell him to go higher into the air. There seems to be some magnetic interference that throws off low key communications and long communications. Thankfully the Evangelion craft has high grade technology, at the least you should be able to stay in contact with Shinji and through Shinji to me, like a cup and string," she said to him as the rustling stopped. "Now I'm going to speak to the government and direct the fighting, I'll leave it to you, get going and report back only if the shit hits the fan....got it?" she asked seriously. Her voice was commanding, and maybe there was a hint of trust and dependence.

Until this point, the realization of his first, totally in control, battle had not sunk in too well. Now, Toji could feel his stomach turning as if a black hole had been opened and he was falling into its darkness.

"Toji!" was Asuka's shout.

"Y-yeah, I got it!" he said shakily at first.

A sigh was heard. "Listen, even though he's an idiot and isn't in the battle, Shinji is still... someone _you_ can depend on. Just stay in contact with him and you'll get by. Worst case scenario Shinji bails you out," she encouraged.

"And if that fails?" he asked nervously, mouth set in a worried line.

"I can assure you that it won't," she said back, "Now, go. I told you everything you need to know and more," she finished

Toji gulped, nodded, exhaled and then leaned forward as he commanded Eva Unit 03 to stand.

"And Toji?"

A pause.

"Good luck." was all she said before cutting the line.

He smiled; at least the devil had a soft side. The Evangelion turned south to where Hong Kong was and began its careful approach, mindful of the buildings and people underneath, walking into its first official battle.

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Shinji stood looking over a map of China. Thousands of red and blue dots were interacting, swarming certain areas, or moving in large groups to invade others. Shinji's main focus, however, was the huge black dot encompassing a portion of Hong Kong. It was a representation of the electrical and magnetic interference coming from the Tacstra weapon and was currently his intended target.

Toji had contacted him moments ago about the plan and that he was to try and engage the enemy Tacstra to quickly capture it or destroy it. Shinji was fully against capture, capturing these types of things always turned out badly for everyone involved, and he hated needless destruction. He had instantly dropped off an Assault rifle not opting to use the multi-purpose Thunder Spear as he had no idea how it worked.

Unit 03 had taken the Assault rifle before it landed into a building and crushed it. He moved along, stepping over buildings and awestruck soldiers and citizens. Toji had to fight the smile coming to his face at the awestruck faces in favour for the battle ahead. He wondered if the other pilots had this kind of reaction during the Angel Wars, if so it would explain Asuka's stuck up personality.

Up above Shinji watched as almost a hundred battle tanks and a few dozen attack helicopters mobilized with the Evangelion. This instantly brought back memories of the Angel Wars when he fought with JSSDF. Hopefully the military forces hear would be more effective against this Tacstra than against angels.

"Incoming coms from forward HQ in Beijing. It's Major Soryu, Ma'am!" the pilot said patching it through.

"Asuka?" he asked.

"Yeah, here. Guess you've noticed the general has sent a sizeable force to assist you; he believes this enemy Tacstra will be quite instrumental in how this battle turns out," she said as if restricting her words.

"Me and you both know they'll only get themselves killed instead of helping us," he replied looking at the map and how the heavy forces were deploying themselves around the black area.

Her voice turned into a whisper. "I know that but they won't take too kindly to me telling them there useless in their own country, they have some pride to defend here." There was a pause as she spoke with someone. "Ahem, anyway, we're going to launch a barrage at it once it comes into view. Unit 03's electronic field should cancel out the enemy Tacstra's field. How's Toji holding up?" She asked.

Shinji almost replied with a simple "fine", and that was it before he realised she meant synch ratio. "He's holding good at 72.53, it's dropped since we arrived but I think that's from nervousness than anything else," he answered looking down at the synch graph.

"Great," she said absently.

"Asuka?" he asked concerned. He knew that her absence was one of mental thought rather than divided attention. Asuka was rarely distracted or hollow in her words.

"Be careful, Shinji," she began warningly. "No Angel battle has ever gone according to plan on the first attempt and in my mind, this enemy is on that level. A lot of the battle will probably be improvisation and quick thinking. Stay on your toes," she replied before cutting the line.

Shinji exhaled, looked back at the entry plug for Unit 01 before looking over the map. "Toji, wait up, I want you to wait there. The Chinese are going to fire a barrage at… whatever it is. Then it's your turn," Shinji told him.

"Shit," Toji said. As he looked on, a building suddenly was launched into the air. The building had to be about 15 stories and it was headed straight for Unit 03. Toji was about to move the Eva out of the way before Shinji told him otherwise.

"You can take that, erect your A.T field," he told him like a commander.

Toji gritted his teeth as a soft wave expanded out from the Evangelion. The invisible A.T field took hold of a 600 meter diameter area. The building smashed against the invisible wall in a shower of glass, debris and smoke before falling to the floor like a bird crashing into a window.

"Target confirmed!" came a shout over his communications link.

Shinji looked at the screen and was overcome with disgust and slight dread.

The clouds above the ghastly creature were filled with smoke and soot making the atmosphere dark and heavy as the Tacstra, if you could call it that, walked towards the response unit and Eva Unit 03. The Tacstra walked like an Evangelion, slightly hunched with arms relaxed and swaying but that's where the similarities ended. The thing was tall, not as tall as an Evangelion but it was tall enough. The most noticeable thing about the being was the bands on its body, two on every limb, one around the neck and one around the waist. The bands glowed and seemed like they were made from the fabric of space; dark and dotted with small lights like the astral heavens. The odd thing was the stars moved and the blackness looked like it was drawing light in like a black hole.

The creature itself had no armour but had what looked like very tough and thick skin. The skin itself was a mismatch of different shades, from black to white, like someone had stitched it up with various body parts and pieces of flesh. The Tacstra had sealed eyes but it did have nostrils, four of them but no ears and where should have been mouth was just skin with no hint of a mouth even existed underneath it. Its chest was also very odd, it had six long slits on either side of the chest in front of the ribs and if you looked carefully you could see a black rib underneath a few of them. Its hands were taloned and its feet seemed to be webbed.

"What the fuck..." Toji said over the line as Shinji shook his head in disbelief. What the hell was that? Whatever it was, the Chinese were not going to wait for it start throwing more buildings at them. The buildings may even have had people inside of them.

After one command, over 150 tanks opened up a barrage of hell-fire onto the creature. Tanks punched out their slugs in a loud pop of discharge, red hot streaks of 75mm shells lanced across the sky lighting up the dreary atmosphere for but a moment before impacting against the creature... which were then be reflected back.

The look of surprise was universal to everyone watching; even the creators and founders of the creature were surprised as the rounds exploded back accurately into the line of tanks and soldiers. Hundreds of explosions ripped into the tank line, men and women were thrown into the air in one piece or in chunks. Shrapnel ripped through flesh and elicited screams from the lucky few who survived the hits. The few dozen shells that hit the tanks either went straight through or knocked the vehicles back a few meters from the sheer force.

Shinji leaned forward to look at the destruction before acknowledging the call coming through from Beijing HQ. "Be careful, Ikari, the rounds we just fired at it bounced back twice as powerful. You couldn't shoot those point blank at another tank and even budge it. Let alone knock back or penetrate all the way through. Toji! Try three rounds, see if they're strong enough," Asuka ordered and he acknowledged her by raising his rifle and switched it to three round burst.

The bullets arced across the sky to land in the creature's dome, snapping its head back as the bullets dug in A second later the three round burst shot into the sky as it blasted away from the creature's head. The Tacstra looked back down towards the Evangelion and growled. The growl vibrated out from the chest and parts of the ribs.

"Bullshit!" Toji shouted back at it. He drew his progressive knife from his shoulder pylons.

"Toji, don't charge it. It's got no weapons and I doubt it has any ranged abilit-" Shinji began but was cut off as the creature's ribs sprouted out from its chest, blossoming out wide. The black ribs began to vibrate intensely before a huge sonic boom smashed headlong into the Evangelion, launching it off its feet and into the air. The Eva soared with Toji screaming in the plug more from shock than pain. It soared past and even into a few of the helicopters stationed into the air, the rest that did not get hit or were too spread out or quick were shattered by the shock wave of the following air current. The Evangelion landed around 8 kilometres from where it once stood and collided into dozens of buildings and toppling more as the Unit skidded to a halt. Buildings fell and covered the Eva as Toji tried to collect himself.

"Toji! Are you okay?" Shinji called over the communications, not as concerned as one would expect. "Come on, get up! That thing has started to move and-oh shit! Get up, _get up_! It's charging towards you!" At those words Toji jumped up, thankful that he had kept his hand wrapped around the progressive knife.

The Evangelion shrugged off the few buildings covering it, they being too small to add any significant weight to it. Just as Eva Unit 03 stood up, the creature was upon him and Toji brought up his progressive knife on instinct. Toji braced his legs as the thing was suddenly two heads taller and thicker than his Eva. The creature tackled him down to the ground with an earthshaking shudder. The creature pinned the Evangelion by the arms and legs before leaning back slightly so its black ribs could open up. "Toji, be advised; this may hurt," he heard Asuka say, the words, however, never entered his brain as he struggled under the creatures amazing strength.

He watched in awe and horror as the thing was actually getting bigger, its muscles bulged larger and stronger and its body lengthened. He glimpsed a line starting to appear where the creature's mouth should be, however, that was all he saw before he and the creature was engulfed in an explosion that blossomed in a 5 mile diameter with the Eva and Tacstra at the epicentre.

Any observer would tell you the explosion was like half the sun sprouted out from the ground for but a moment before dying out into smoke and an enormous mushroom cloud. The huge rumble and shock wave that followed was monstrous, shaking every person in China to the core and scaring millions more worldwide. The N2 mine's explosive force had encompassed and eradicated everything in the area of the two Tacstra class weapons. What remained was a sea of melting metal and stone, the entire area glowed a horrific red that was stomach churning to watch and even worse if you were a resident.

From the sky one would see a huge circle of burning metal and flame, the combined sizzle of over five miles worth of material was like a huge roar liken to the sound of heavy water falls. The black sky glowed with the extreme heat below that even Shinji was surprised he could feel the heat coming through his reinforced aircraft.

Back down below Eva Unit 03 stood up, moderately charred but undamaged all in all. Toji rubbed his arms inside his plug as the burning heat coming through and attacking the Eva's flesh was more irritating than painful. As he looked around the battlefield, what was left of it, for the  
Tacstra, he had to think back to the angel war and all those times Shinji and the others had been in the middle of explosions like this. "Uh, hello? Did we wipe it out?" Toji asked over the channel.

"Behind you, you idiot!" Asuka screamed causing Toji to roll Unit 03 forward just as an arm was about to sweep out and slap him like a rag doll. The Eva rolled to look up at the creature in utter shock. The monster was twice the size and mass as the Evangelion and it was crouching!

Before Toji could think, the creature launched at Unit 03 and it was all Toji could do to roll out of the way as it charged at Unit 03. "Oh shit! What the hell, Asuka, I need help!" Was his cut reply as the Tacstra reversed momentum and slammed back into the Evangelion launching it back into a cooling factory, destroying the building as building materials were crushed under the Eva's weight. The Evangelion scrambled to its feet before a powerful fist came down like a hammer smashing Unit 03 straight into and through the ground into China's large and expansive sewage. Only half of the Evangelion's body could fit into it, the Tacstra lifted the Evangelion by the leg only to slam it back down again. Cars, smoke and debris trailed along and around the Evangelion as the quakes of the 200 meter tall Unit was repeatedly slammed into the earth leaving large dents but doing little damage to the Evangelion itself.

Toji felt battered and defeated, he had a nose bleed and it felt like his face had been pulverised. He looked up at the Tacstra holding him up, he was partial to the static shouts of Shinji and Asuka. He should have been feeling surprised at piecing together the fact the Tacstra was actually interfering with his electronics. Shaking his head, he lifted his right leg and with fury, started smashing the Tacstra's face in with his foot.

The Tacstra took five powerful stamps to the face before grabbing the other leg and in an unexpected burst of strength, crushed the Evangelion's legs in resounding splatter of jutting out bone from armour and blood from flesh.

Toji was shocked at first by the site of the white bones jutting out of the Eva's legs before the pain hit him and he screamed as white lances of agony shot up his legs into his head. In a blind rage , he leaned up, still dangling from the Tacstra's hands, and aimed the right shoulder pylon at it. He fired its anti-matter spikes into the Tacstra's face and managed to fire another before it let go of him.

Unit 03 dropped unceremoniously to the ground with its legs in horribly bent positions. Toji laughed through gritted teeth before screaming out in pain accompanied with heavy breathing. "Oh, God! Ah!" Toji's mind went white with pain for a moment before he was brought back. "Shinji, Asuka, for fuck sake! Help me! That thing's going to kill me! Ahhh!" He screamed again as Unit 03's legs were picked up again.

Toji looked up to find the Tacstra with the spikes in its face, all 24 of them, and the thing rumbled before its black ribs opened up. However, this time the ribs glowed red from friction caused by their own vibration. Toji screamed before the sonic attack hit the Eva point blank.

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Up in orbit, the charcoal clouds above China parted in a circle, revealing everything and spreading across the land. The lone satellite orbiting China at the time was almost knocked off course by the small force that hit it.

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Shinji got up with a bleeding head wound but apart from that, he was fine. He looked around and then out the window. Clear skies and the moan of an engine. "Pilot!" He shouted just as the air craft made a huge dip downwards. Choosing not to wait for his fate, he ran towards the cockpit to find the pilot dead and the flight controls sparking. He etched forward a little while covering his eyes from thee sparking console as he looked down at the poor man. The flight stick was in his chest. There was something sickly ironic about that that Shinji could not place, nor did he have the time.

He ran back out of the cockpit with some trouble due to the slant of the air craft. He looked around and started pressing his communications unit to no effect. Red blaring lights screamed in his ear as he practically climbed up to the observation deck. Cables fell down and sparked around him and the air craft rumbled violently before it relaxed with a hard tug. A huge shudder through Shinji off and into a wall, forcing the air out of his lungs and whacking his skull against the bulkhead and knocking him out.

He awoke on the other side of the air craft with his body pressed against the observation map. He coughed as he tried to fight of the pain slashing through his brain. His heart was beating like no other and he patted his head at the feeling of water running down his head. He grimaced at the blood in his hands before the air craft flipped and launched him face first into the ceiling with harsh thwack that could have killed him. The air craft righted and threw him back down to the observation deck, smashing the back of his head against the map work surface. He groaned in agony as the pain in the back of his head intensified before it suddenly disappeared followed by the numbing of his body.

He looked around for something to help him move across the room. He saw a cable that lead towards the parachute compartment and he instantly reached forward, however, circuits were exposed and the blood of his hands conducted the electrical current through the blood and into Shinji's body. The electrical shock forced Shinji into a scream of agony before his hands released the cable. His body twitched as steam rose from his body and blood sizzled on top of his partially burnt head. He coughed and he looked down in a wheeze at the sight of blood and he rolled on his back with clenched teeth as another rumble vibrated through the descending flyer.

He shouted in rage at the inevitable. He had so much more to do, to accomplish, he wanted to meet Kensuke again and meet his wife and new daughter. He wanted to hug Misato and speak to her about how much he felt that she was more his mother than anyone else. He wanted to goof off with Toji as Hikari made them an incomparable meal. He wanted to go back home to Rio Grande do Sul and speak with Rodriquez, Maria, Alicia, Hailium and the others. And more than ever, he wanted to tell Asuka how he felt. He wanted to kiss her, hug her, make love to her, put a ring on her finger, say his vows. He wanted them to have children together and grow old together.

He wanted a simple life from birth, he never asked for much but the world asked too much from him like he was some kind of messiah who could fix everyone's problem. Everything was satisfying until his father called him back, and he came running back with the hope his father wanted to consolidate when instead-

Shinji slowly looked up and over to the entry plug...

Fate was a cruel woman and Shinji was her bitch.

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On the surface of China, over 79 miles of cities, buildings, shops, vehicles, air craft and so on were swept away in a titanic sonic force that swept the earth clean. It was like a child had swept all the lego blocks off of a table and left it devoid of any construction. Though not a perfect illustration of a smooth plain, a few building pieces remained across the 80 mile diameter later known as the sonic zone. Everything from posters to the tallest buildings had been pushed across the land to make huge mile high heaps of building materials and constructions. A huge bowl like shape had formed around the sonic zone.

There were two beings left on the plain, the Tacstra and, surprisingly, Evangelion Unit 03. The Eva was on its back with a visible A.T field in front of it, however, a lot of its armour had been peeled off and only a few under layers remained with bits of skin and internal organs showing.

The Tacstra turned to the Evangelion, the spikes in its head had been blown off during that sonic blast attack the Tacstra had released. The creature dashed towards the Unit before coming to a monkey like halt in front of it. It raised a fist before slamming it down on Unit 3's A.T. field only to have it bounce away from the barrier. Not deterred in the least, the creature began pounding away at the Evangelion's A.T field, the force of which pushed the Evangelion into the earth and apart from the A.T field, one would believe the Unit inactive.

Realising the futility and slow progress it was making, the Tacstra revealed its black ribs which began to glow red again and fired. That had been its intention, however, the large progressive spear jutting out of its stomach interrupted the creatures impending attack.

The Tacstra turned around to find a red mechanical fist slam into its face with such force that the creatures head tore and multiple sounds of breaking bone echoed across the barren land just before the Tacstra was launched across the plain from the blow.

"Toji! Toji, come in!" Asuka shouted through her communications link to Unit 03 as Unit 02 allowed the blue blade dangling from a thick sapphire blue wire to be lowered towards Unit 03.

There was silence across the line before horrible wet coughing answered her. "Oh my- shit, what took you so long? Uh, my legs are fucked and my chest feels like its cut up. I was lucky to pull up my A.T field when I did, though I cut it to close," he panted through the pain and Asuka nodded, the motion being imitated through her Eva.

The Tacstra stood with its destroyed face, this time, however, a mouth was open and crooked, uneven teeth were shown and, on further inspection, there were gums and several rows of teeth. It had a red fungus-like covering to supplant gingiva. Small human-like teeth sprouted amidst the mass of flesh. Asuka partially regretted punching the Tacstra, the sight was appalling.

Asuka distanced herself from Unit 03 and charged the Tacstra and in turn it, which still had the spear lodged in its gut, also dashed at her with a high pitched screech from its mouth that almost made Asuka dizzy from the subsonic sounds playing into her ear. She recovered almost instantly and quickly ducked between the Tacstra's legs before turning and jumping onto its back.

Unit 02 grabbed the sapphire blade with both hands and pulled out more of the sapphire wire before placing it underneath the Tacstra's chin. The Tacstra thrashed, trying to throw Unit 02 off but the Evangelion was on tight and with its free left hand it pulled out a progressive knife from its shoulder pylon and stabbed it directly into the Tacstra's spine causing the monster to screech again.

Asuka shook off the dizziness and started to stab the Tacstra repeatedly. The penetration of the knife was great but its length was lacking. Not yet giving up, Asuka activated her C-0 bomb spikes and aimed her shoulder pylons at the Tacstra before firing the spikes into its back. After a few seconds the spikes exploded and destroyed huge clumps of flesh and internal organs from the interior of the creature. Chunks of mush red flesh splashed onto Unit 02.

The Tacstra jolted its head back to only impale its skull on Unit 02's small horns but the force also dazed Asuka a bit to the point she almost let go. She gritted her teeth in frustration, pulled herself up and placed her feet on the Tacstra's shoulders. Still using the sapphire whip as leverage, Asuka lifted her right foot and slammed it down of the Tacstra's head with a sickening crack.

However, just when she thought she had the upper hand, the thing did the impossible and had a sudden growth spurt. All the muscles and bones across its body rumbled and wriggled as it stretched and expanded, like a wave of worms were moving around in haste underneath its skin. Asuka had to extend the whip more to accommodate the much larger neck that was now beyond Unit 02's ability to secure both arms around.

"Oh my God..." were Toji's words.

The Tacstra was on its hands and knees but you would have to stack two to three Evangelion a top one another to match its height. The Tacstra's height and body mass was ridiculous and Asuka did not want to think of how powerful its sonic blast was now.

The Tacstra's right arm came up to grab Unit 02, the hand being big enough to fully encapsulate the Unit if it wanted to. Asuka let go of the whip and rolled along its back away from its hand which was fast for its size. Unit 02 rolled down the Tacstra's back and leaped back to earth with a shudder before it sprinted away from the Tacstra to Toji. The Tacstra turned to the pair and Asuka looked the monster up and down, head on. Her eyes flickered along the creature and started to calculate many plans but was unable to settle on one she could enact successfully.

Not bothering to try and hit the two Units with its fists it leaned forward on its knees which instantly Asuka likened to the size of to the 10th angel that fell from orbit. The enormous size of it was not what put Asuka off, it was the fact the its ribs were becoming visible again and were turning red from friction. She was not sure if she could survive the blast. "A.T field up, now!" she shouted to Toji who did not respond. "Toji!" she shouted checking the lifeline to find out he has passed out. "Fuck!" she screamed as she expanded her own field.

"RAAAWRRR!!" Was the shout over the communications as Unit 01 slammed down into the monsters head like a god of lightning, its glowing red eyes showing a demonic, otherworldly power only it possessed. It came down with such force, speed and weight that the Tacstra's head was liquefied into brain matter and blood and only a glimpse of an eye. Asuka stared in absolute shock as Unit 01 landed in a crouch in front of the standing Tacstra.

The Tacstra stood there as if it could not believe it was dying, as if fate herself was surprised at the sudden powerful intrusion that was so anticlimactic that it was almost laughable. A monster that had almost taken Toji's life, given Unit 03 a new makeover, and almost torn Asuka a new arse as well, had been killed in one very sudden and explosive godly act. Asuka had been ready to suffer a world of hurt and a lot more from the monster, she was even ready to die for the idiot behind her. Yes, she had come out in her Evangelion with the possibility of losing her life. Yes, she had come out without a plan, without permission or orders and, yes, she had even depended on Shinji for but only a moment. She could not remember if she had made a small plea in her head for him to come down and save her, and she did not want to remember. She could not deny what she felt apart from the shock of her saviour's sudden appearance.

Asuka watched Unit 01 as it stood from its crouch before looking at Unit 02 then 03 with its almost calculating expression. Unit 01 walked towards her and Toji leaning down to pick up the broken progressive spear. The Tacstra's chest roared before 01 through the spear back at it, into the dead centre of the creature's chest, cutting its roar off instantly.

Unit 01 entered into Unit 02's A.T field and erected its own to strengthen her own. The Tacstra smashed into the earth with a heavy rumble due to is sheer mass, the monster dead and unmoving. The bands on its body, however, began to glow, changing from stars to hot white light. Unit 01 turned to the Tacstra and Asuka could feel the build up of energy in the bands. The light in the area dimmed as if the bands were accumulating light to build up its energy. Asuka had to increase the polarisation of 02's eyes to compensate for the intense light.

Just when she thought it could not get any brighter it flashed and a resounding boom and striking force hit her A.T field. It was not strong enough to overpower it due to the presence of Unit 01's own A.T field. During the explosion Asuka looked over to Unit 01 in awe and wonder. Was Shinji in there? Where had he been? What had taken him so long and caused him to arrive only just in time? Was it luck that he attacked now or had he waited?

The explosive force died down leaving a plain empty crater in the earth with the three Evangelion inside. Asuka almost shook her head at the nostalgia this very scene hit her with. She sat back in her plug with a sigh. She almost jumped at the incoming signal from Unit 01, she had the silly notion that answering it would reveal some monster in the plug but she quickly shook her head.

She opened the link and gasped in utter astonishment. Long hair in a ponytail, unshaven stubble, cigarette in his mouth, crooked tie. "Kaji!?" Asuka shouted, hands reaching out with tears ready to spill.

"Asuka?" was Shinji's voice that pulled her back. She shook her head and took a moment to process what she had just seen. In front of her sat Shinji Ikari, A-10 connectors in his head and still wearing his normal NERV uniform, if not a heavily bloodied and burnt one. "Are you okay? Sorry I'm late, I couldn't figure out how to disengage the Eva from the transport..." Shinji said in a rough yet concerned voice. He noticed her shocked expression, as if she had seen a ghost. "What's wrong?" he asked with deeper concern now growing for her.

Asuka pulled her legs to her chest as she looked at him with upset, red-rimmed eyes. She bit her lip drawing some blood and Shinji physically backed away as his 'Asuka senses' were going berserk.

"**BAKA!"**

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**Author notes:**

Hey! I'm right on time! This was actually finished and fully betaed 4 days ago, however I wanted to keep to the deadline of June 1st. Not too mention I was playing Infamous and I almost forgot to upload this. Do not have much to say about this chapter. It's a lot more detailed and I hope you enjoy that.

I was planning on making the fight longer but felt that Evangelion battles were either quick or drawn out and in a way, it was drawn out. I'm kind of annoyed, I wanted to make to Coil's attacks seem more powerful but I felt I was putting too much detail into parts that really did not need it. Mah eh.

Anyway! Shout-outs!

**LT-NightWarp: **I'm happy you've enjoyed it. Sorry about the little mistakes here and there, I just got my beta recently and sometimes, you read through it twice but the mistakes always manage to slip by. Thankfully, 6 more chapters to go and then I'll start cleaning this baby up. Thank you a lot and I hope you continue to read.

**SithKnight-Galen: **You though so? I thought it was far from rushed, but then again, it could have had more detail. As for the prep...that actually was poor in my opinion, however, this chapter more than makes up for it and I'm planning to make sure all the previous chapters have more detail. I must say, I was reading and thought that actually...it does not make you feel like your set...it does not settle you. Hopefully it does. I'm planning to change my style on a few things, namely the screaming. Instead of doing "arrg!" I'll just say he screamed, I tend to find that makes more of an impact as the reader envisions a much worse scream than I can type out. The battle is for from over , that was just the Coil, someone may have a tank but it takes one EMP to knock it out and allow troops to advance. The battle still continues in China.

**Dar Sel'la': **Thanks, I hope I keep your interest.

**Daetor:** You know, Daetor, I never read shout outs until I finish the next chapter. So I was typing this today, the day this comes out, and I was smiling all the way through your review but I'll address a few things.

The Coil...hmm, it is incredibly cheaper to produce, in fact, you could say it's the cheapest military special weapon to date. Apart from the buying of equipment and excavation of the Ouroboros bands, the actual materials for the creature was almost free. Dead bodies, grave robbing straight after a funeral, dona parts, easy to take, and the poor from abandoned undeveloped areas. There's a lot about it you only see the surface off in this chapter. Drake and his team are the only ones that know what is going on and how well or bad things are turning out.

H.I.C...Can't say too much, I will say that your half right and half wrong about where the soldiers come from...you'll see...hehehehe. H.I.C are a lot worse than you think...I'm not sure about next chapter but I know chapter 11 will tell you a lot more about how brilliant they are at manipulation.

Concerning, Toji and Shinji...this chapter is answer is enough, it's more of tease when concerning 01, there's a lot more to it.

Ross: You'll be hating...and maybe emphasizing with him a lot more...maybe. As a spoiler, he's not dyeing any time soon.

Yes, women's intuition is from the 10th angel...I was watching the entire series again when I was writing that chapter...and rebuild is going to have an affect on this work, but only with equipment and stuff, with instance the little mention about the thunder spear.

The last scene is the beginning of a much darker storyline...your stomach is going to start to churn, as for third party...let's just say the past loves to bite you in the ass when you least expect it.

Nope, no berserk Eva...I- have my reasons...not too mention I think the pilots should have more control, I'm still being vague about unit 01 but there was a big clue at the end there with Asuka hallucinating **looks left, then right** She was hallucinating...right?

As for that little thing at the end...I missed that...hmm. The beta has a different style and instead of changing, she'll underline a suggestion she's added in. So I might skip over the suggestion accidentally. Me and my beta are working with each others styles and it's just taking a little while to adjust and understand. It should start to die down. Thanks for pointing it out.

**End shout outs!**

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed, less on the Eva's next time and more on Steinbeck, his squad, and the attack on China as well as a little on Rio Grande Do Sul.

Next update on 15th June 2009

Special shout out goes to FrogBISCUITs! She's badass! She's fast as light on nitrous oxide. Without her this chapter would not be out, simply superb, Thank you FrogBISCUITS!


	10. Pins and Needles

**Pins and needles**

"Holy shit! Did you see that Coil work?" A whistle in the background. "Now that's what I call a bad ass motherfucker! Imagine the power it would have if we equipped it with a soldier's soul..."

"Agreed. The coil did surpass the limits on what we suspected it could achieve. I hear even the scientists are astounded."

"I told you it was worth the budget... and incredibly cheap too."

"Yes, you need to start the production of more. Get all the raw ma-"

"One step ahead of you, I've had it all ready since we were half way through the development of the first. However, I wanted to make sure this did not constrict anyone's plans."

"Indeed, and thank you for the consideration. We do not want to rush this. A building can take thousands of impacts, however, remove just one support and it comes crashing down."

"Hell yeah, that's how we work...N.O.V.A!"

"Calm down! We are not at the stage of where we can become more public, no rumours yet."

"Yeah, but it is exciting that all our hard work is starting to pay off."

"Yes, however, we will lay off battles for now. We'll use the aftermath and the world's changing opinion to our advantage. We almost wiped Hong Kong off the map which will stir up trouble, more so if NERV gets a lot of the blame."

"I'll get to work starting gossip in the U.N and on the internet. It won't be that powerful at the moment, but a snowball just needs to gain momentum down a mountain before it to becomes unstoppable."

"You all have your assignments, let's make it happen."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Drake sat back in his seat as he finished replaying the events of the Coil for the sixth time. He looked at his assistants who were still floating in a state of awe and dread. What they had seen far surpassed anything that they could have even hoped to accomplish in their first test. The results were phenomenal and downright wrong; the potentials for this technology were almost God-like.

He pinched his nose as he thought of his family. He had built a weapon that could, and just did, take thousands of lives in an instant. He then considered the value of thousands, maybe even millions of lives the Coil took for the sake of his family. Would they have agreed that their three, small, glimmering lives were equal to the enormity of those who died?

Drake had become a scientist who focused on the betterment of humanity, not its destruction, not the building of monsters for use by human hands. Drake was never a firm believer in God; however, something inside of him told him that what he was dealing with was not something for mankind to meddle with. He felt dirtier than ever, he could barely look himself in the mirror. How would he face his family when the time came?

Drake shook his head and picked up a data pad. He needed to remove his mind from the questions and instead focus on the task at hand. He pressed the record button on the data pad and quickly began his documentation.

"This is Alex Christopher Drake, time is eighteen-twenty-six, fourth of June, twenty-twenty-one. Today we began the full test of Coil 03 as well as the stability of the faux Ouroboros bands or FOBs for short." Drake looked at some knobs on his console and changed them back to a previous value. "The Coil had a synchronised reading with the bands of a level of 46.228% and a bodily synchronisation of 77% exactly. As soon as the Coil was activated and commissioned with a task it went into an animal like rage. Despite this, it managed to proceed to its objective. It seemed to be trying to fight its orders, indicated by how it moved and dragged itself along."

Drake paused the recording and looked down as he tried to compose his next words. "We likened the movement to that of a child crying as it unhappily followed its parent. It was quite disturbing and may be corrected if given a more mature soul." Drake turned a few knobs again and moved the video forward a few minutes. "As expected, the Coil went through a level of metamorphosis; however, we still do not know why it did so and under what conditions. The Coil's mouth on its face was sealed by a thick layer of skin further on into the testing for reasons unknown. Professor Durandel, our psychologist, said it was a manifestation of the soul's previous instructions, a probable, physical manifestation of the words "lips sealed" but further investigation needs to be made for confirmation."

He looked at some print outs of the Coil and its ribs protruding from its chest. "The Coil managed to open out its ribs which vibrated in astounding levels to produce sounds that would be liken to an Evangelion's raw, however, this was just a precursor to things to come. The Coil made its way to Beijing after it destroyed the garrison in Hong Kong. It managed to get half way there before being intercepted by a full Brigade and an Evangelion that was noted to arrive a full day earlier than predicted."

Drake paused again as he looked through the battle.

"The Chinese liberation army fired a salvo of tank shells. The Coil miraculously managed to repel the bullets and slingshot them back with twice the power. My only guess is that it will automatically turn its flesh into a more elastic configuration when attacked by projectiles so they cannot pierce its skin. Evangelion Unit 03 even tried with its Assault rifle, the Coil managed to repel them but with much more difficulty." Next Drake picked up an image of the Coil with its ribs unfurled and with a blur around them. He wrote a quick note on them saying 'Sonic projector.'

"The Coil then retaliated with its own attack completely unknown to us. It was a type of attack using a high level of sonic vibrations so powerful that it sent the Evangelion flying at a speed of 209 miles per hour. After the attack the coil went through a boost of growth, thus enhancing all its features and capabilities by a third. It should also be noted that the Coil's mental state turned into a mixture of rage and longing. What this means is currently beyond us. The Coil seemed to be stronger than the Evangelion in outright strength, but we highly doubt that, what with all the monstrous footage we've seen. The Coil did manage to pin the Evangelion down and was about to lance off another sonic projector before it was hit with an N2 mine." Drake looked at a picture of the blast radius.

"The coil was unaffected by the attack and doubled its original strength. The Coil began its attack showing a surprising level of manoeuvrability and battle prowess. It was able to keep the Evangelion on its toes and even managed to start damaging it. The Coil eventually managed to catch the Evangelion by its legs before crushing them, showing an advanced level of strength. The Evangelion retaliated with 24 anti-matter spikes directly to the skull but the Coil either did not feel it, or ignored it because it began its sonic projector. However, due to its growth and boost in power, the ribs were longer and the muscles causing them to vibrate became stronger as well. We do not understand why the ribs glowed red hot when there was no actual heat being generated at the time."

Drake looked over at the next image and shook his head in disbelief.

"The Coil fired off its enhanced sonic projector, the resulting attack was negated by the A.T.. filed of the Evangelion. The area damage was so vast and powerful that it literally swept away any trace of human civilization from a truce diameter of eighty-five miles. The attacks created a sonic zone, or as the Chinese call it, 'Huanlule-dei-fong.' Soldiers, tanks, buildings, people, land markings, it was all blown away. At this point reports of Evangelion Unit 02 making its way to the battle were just coming through. The Coil renewed its attack on Unit 03 but with little success due to Unit 03's A.T. field. Evangelion Unit 02 attacked the Coil and shattered its cranium for a moment before it began repairing itself."

Drake looked at the last of the footage and shook his head. "A fight occurred between the Coil and Unit 02." A pause as he looked over the fight. "I can honestly say the Coil would not have lasted as long as it did if Unit 03 was not a hindrance to Unit 02. Unit 02 managed to land some devastating blows to the Coil much faster than the Coil could heal. The Coil's mouth on its face opened up and admitted a screech that seemed to delay Unit 02 but we do not know why. Note: please have the pilots reactions to the Coil investigated right away."

He paused at the image of the Coil growing. "The Coil went through another growth spurt and was now about five times the size of the Evangelions and with the possibility of incredible power. However..," he stopped at a freeze frame of Unit 01 coming down like a comet on the Coil's head. "Evangelion Unit 01, using a combination of momentum from its fall and its own strength, managed to liquefy the Coil's head with a single punch, instantly ending the Coil's life and synchronisation with the FOBs which self destructed," he shook his head with a weak smile. "Which was the only thing that went to plan in the entire operation," he said under his breath.

"To conclude my evaluation, the Coil exceeded all expectations. The only improvements that need to be made all rely on the selection of the soul. I suggest a more reliable and more mentally mature soul then what was used in the test. In addition, more funding for research is necessary," he finished putting down his data pad and leaned back.

Drake rubbed his face as he thought of the little girl. She had chestnut hair, beautiful blue eyes and the cutest smile second only to his own daughters. He had not managed to get to know her, but not because of the experiment. He did not know she was the test subject, mainly because he did not have enough time to delegate to her. Eventually she was chosen as a test subject. Why she was chosen escaped Drake's reach of understanding. "Fuck sake. She was just a child..," he whispered, fists clenched and a furious expression on his face.

Drake had to wonder if he was just as bad as the people who assigned her as the test subject. In fact, looking at the amount of work he put into the Coil and the eventual fate it would reach, he saw himself being more at fault. What kind of life would the girl have lead? How would she have matured? She could have become a doctor, a wife, a mother. What about his own child? Was she safe from being assigned? What about her future and how could he guarantee her existence?

Drake leaned forward, put his hands together and did the one thing he thought he would never do...

He prayed.

He prayed for her and not himself. He prayed to whatever God would listen. He prayed with tears in his eyes. He prayed for his mother, sister, father, brother, his wife, and most importantly, he prayed that his daughter would be safe.

"Oh God in heaven, please, please, if you truly exist, then please secure my child's safety. I swear to you now, if you at least deliver her I'll stop all of this, I'll sacrifice the life of myself as long as she's safe. I'm not sorry for never approaching you, but I am sorry that I could not at least give my child the chance to know your name. So I beg you-" He choked on a sob. "Please, allow her to be free of this, ple-" He stopped at a hand touching his shoulder.

It was James with a sorrowful expression and only a few words left his mouth. "Can I join you?" he almost pleaded. Drake could only nod as his colleague sat down beside him.

Together they prayed for their families, for justice to be done on earth and for the damnation of their souls to be just.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**China**

**Beijing**

**Chinese NERV Branch**

Asuka sat in a chair, a jacket over her shoulders as she sat in her plug suit. She was mostly vacant in her attention to numerous complaints and outrage of the battle that had taken place a few hours ago. She mostly disregarded the letters as they were all complaints, none of them offered a solution to any of the needs of the Chinese people.

Asuka's mind was focused on the battle that had decimated Hong Kong for what would be decades to come. She was not shocked. She was never shocked about much anymore, least of all to do with warfare. After the angel wars, and even the Horizon event, she had pretty much seen all one really could see or imagine. She did feel slightly off guard by the level of strength the enemy Tacstra showed; it seemed to be more powerful than the average angel...

She frowned. _How would one define an average angel...?_ She thought to herself before focusing back on what had transpired. She may have overestimated Toji, or perhaps she underestimated the Tacstra, either way she had screwed up. However, Asuka never played the 'what if' game. It was pointless to think about the 'ifs' and 'buts'. Events of the past were in the past, unchangeable; but predictions were something else altogether and were never one-hundred percent inevitable. This was their first, and hopefully last, battle with an enemy Tacstra. They may have won by chance but they came away with a huge wealth of knowledge.

She started writing her report to Ritsuko and Misato. She noted down the Tacstra's abilities and battle prowess in a document before checking it through.

**#TACSTRA 01 OVERVIEW#**

**19:34**

**18 June 2021**

_**Report regarding enemy Tacstra and possible techniques and methods in dealing with the target.**_

_Measurements:_

_Height varies with growth advancement stages._

_Default stage: 220 meters_

_1__st__ advancement: 288 meters_

_2__nd__ advancement: 360 meters_

_3__rd__ advancement: 640 meters_

_It should be noted that the stages need to be verified as the Coil stayed in a type of crouch as soon as it reached its 1__st__ advancement._

_Weight: unspecified at this time._

_The Tacstra seemed to be a composition of different body parts from an unknown number of creatures. It is suspected that it is a mixture of humans, animals, birds and marine life. Further investigation will need to be carried out. _

_The Coil seemed to be wearing a type of hockey mask at its first encounter in China, however, eye witnesses recall seeing the mask disintegrate just a few moments before the arrival of Evangelion Unit 03. This is believed to be some kind of restraint to the Tacstra's power that the enemy wanted to make sure to direct towards the Evangelion._

_Reasoning:_

_It could be the Coil has a set amount of advancements and energy that is offered to it before it deactivates. As such the mask could be interpreted as a type of limiter to the amount of energy the Tacstra can use at a low power mode. This theory is supported by the Tacstra's subsequent advancements and its use of more energy than was probably needed to finish off Unit 03. _

_Another reason could be the level of control over the Tacstra is enhanced by the mask. The Tacstra did noticeable wide spread damage to enemy and allies alike with no concern or hesitation. _

_Bands: There were ten black bands on the enemy: two on each limb, one around the neck and one around the waist. The Bands themselves sucked in light particles to a minor degree but enough to be detected by sensors._

_Use (Speculation): At this point we can only assume the bands were a form of energy intakes to power the enemy Tacstra, however; therein lies a contradiction as all the bands together do not draw in enough light to power 3 hearts, let alone such a powerful being. _

_The other use could be as a restraint like the Evangelion's own bindings; however, this also comes under a contradiction as the Tacstra seemed to fight without any restraint or care for any auxiliary damage and deaths it caused by its own forces. _

_It could be that the Tacstra was just a prototype and that the bands restraining powers were ineffective and may be altered in the future. _

_Defence: The Tacstra had high defensive capabilities and deflected all one-hundred and fifty 75mm tank shells back at the tanks with twice the power. It also completed this feat with Unit 03's assault rifle. The force managed caused damage to the Tacstra's head. _

_Weakness: Because of its fleshy body, the Tacstra can be penetrated but only by significantly high level piercing shells like the anti-matter spikes in the Evangelion's shoulder restraint. Piercing rounds should be used against any other Tacstra that do not have an armoured defence as almost all other forms of conventional weaponry seem to be useless. _

_Offence: The Tacstra is very powerful in combat. However, its physical strength is only truly equal to an Evangelion's once it gets to its third advancement. The Tacstra is wild in its attack and unpredictable, making it difficult to combat to an undisciplined pilot. The Tacstra has a high level of manoeuvrability. The Tacstra has been recorded to be faster than an Evangelion of a synch ratio over 80. Its third level may compare. _

_To deal with its speed, one would have to immobilise its legs or cause it loose balance and then pin it before taking it out. _

_The Tacstra has an ability to interfere with a pilot's motor skills with a subsonic screech that somehow penetrates the plug. This may actually be the hearing of the Eva and not the sound entering the plug at all. It can cause dizziness, vertigo, bad headaches and disorientation, though this can be shaken off as long as one keeps their synch level up as the Evangelion seems to shrug off the attack._

_Finally, the most powerful attack ever seen to date that lies in the Tacstra's arsenal is its sonic attack that can, at advancement 1, knock an Evangelion flying in an eye blink. At advancement 2, the Tacstra has an amazing upgrade in that it has the ability to destroy over eighty miles of terrain with a single sonic wave. It was so powerful that it managed to slightly pass through Unit 03's A.T. field and strip it of armour and skin. Apart from the Lance of Longinus, it is the only force that has ever passed through an A.T. field. _

_The only known way to combat the attack is to have a higher synch ratio, ergo stronger A.T. field, and encapsulate it with an A.T. field (Theorised but not tested) or stop it before it can use the attack._

_The attack seems to be initiated from its ribs which can sprout out and vibrate to an extent where it can be channelled into a very powerful force. The connection of the power increase has not been fully explored. The bone size does have an influence but further research is required. _

_The best way to stop this process is to break the ribs. Be wary, the vibrating ribs may be too powerful for direct interaction, it would be best to use long range Evangelion equipment._

_The Tacstra was eventually defeated due to the joint co-operation of, Unit 03, Unit 01 and Unit 02. The remains were destroyed as the bands on its body self-destructed. Reasons for self-destruction are unknown; however, it may be a programmed action or a failure, like a meltdown. How the Tacstra works as a medium is unknown but further investigation is under way._

_I am confident to say that the next confrontation will be much different._

_I endeavour to:_

_Better train and prepare pilots for further battles against Tacstras and other threats. _

_Have the Evangelions better equipped._

_Have a better understanding of the enemy._

_Focus more on possible casualties from battle._

_Be more willing to use more force when necessary._

_Yours Faithfully._

_A. _

**##CLASSIFICATION STAR##**

**##ISSUED BY ASUKA. LANGLEY. SORYU.##**

**##DISPLAYING DOCUMENTS TO UNDER RANKED PERSONNEL WILL RESULT IN OFFENDERS TERMINATION AND THE TERMINATION OF ALL INVOLVED##**

Asuka sat back from the document and nodded at what she saw. She sent off before deleting the file and then purging the computer as well. She stood up and stretched. She needed a drink, a stiff drink. Not worrying about her attire, due to it being a NERV personnel facility who were used to her manner of dress, she left her office.

She took an elevator out of her office and down into the 5th floor where the canteen was. She glanced at the mirror in the elevator as she was taken down. She looked slightly worn out but still mostly presentable. She smirked as she checked her hair and made some quick changes here and there just before she made it to the 5th floor. She walked out with a condensing face to make sure everyone knew who the boss was.

She quickly saw the coffee machine and briskly set off towards it, but not before Shinji abruptly appeared in front of it and started considering his selection. She was not sure how she felt at the moment about Shinji. She was very pleased that he had actually piloted Evangelion Unit 01 and even beat the Tacstra, but that in itself was convoluted. The bastard just could not help being the centre of the spotlight; it made her feel unneeded and wasted. She felt scorn for him even now, as he poured himself a drink of green tea, she felt some kind of anger welling up inside her. There were more feelings rushing inside her and most of them surrounded what he did in battle, or what he did not do.

"So Shinji..," she began, folding her arms underneath her breasts before dismissing the action; she was in no mood for him to be talking to her chest and not her face. Shinji turned around with a wide eyed, slightly worried expression. She looked him over and noted the bandage around his head and signs of trauma to his collarbone. The growing coldness inside her calmed down a bit at the sight of his injuries.

"Y-Yeah?" he asked, glancing around the room for an escape.

"How was piloting Evangelion Unit 01?" she said with a subtle cheeriness that she knew he would interpret as bad. Not failing her predictions, Shinji looked even more nervous.

"It was not too bad, I was out of synch by a bit to what I remember," he glanced at his cup and tried to play it safe by drinking some. "How's Toji?" he asked, he had to change the subject or else he would be backed up into a corner very quickly.

"He's fine..." was her reply. She noted his relaxing posture and considered something she had discussed with Misato, very heatedly actually, and decided to put their agreement into effect. It was time Shinji faced up. In her opinion, this was the best time to do it. She would have to be cold, punctual and impacting. She was going to have to hurt Shinji but what had happened was beyond unacceptable and he needed to recognise it.

"Come with me, Ikari," she said in a serious tone that told Shinji he may be in for an earful.

Swallowing down some of the tea with a noticeable burning sensation going down his throat, Shinji followed Asuka with eyes fixed on her perfect behind. He was very happy her jacket only went so far down, the form fitting plug suit forced itself snugly between her cheeks, defining their roundness and individuality. Shinji made a funny face as he had to wonder how he got to the point where he started to think like a pervert. It was wrong, disrespectful and immature and Shinji deplored such traits present in others' personalities. After all, how depraved would one have to be; how lustful and undisciplined could a person be to become like that?

However, for a reason programmed into his Y chromosomes, he could not look away. He licked his lips a little. _That's mine._

"In here," she said turning to him, thankfully not quickly enough to catch his eyes below her waist, let alone her neck. Shinji stepped into the strategy room and noted the white basic design of the interior and the considerable lighting placed around the room. In the centre of the room was a white digital table showing a map of the whole of China with red and blue forces meeting and pushing away from one another. "It's only a matter of time before the Chinese push them back and out. We still have to find out who did this," Asuka interjected into his observations.

Shinji turned to look at her as she leaned forward to look at the map before glancing to him. "Didn't you capture anyone, anyone who can tell you anything?" he asked slightly surprised at the heavy eyes Asuka was displaying. There was a lot of thought and consideration going on behind those eyes and Shinji felt it was more than the battle taking place.

She shook her head as she stood up straight. "Inside the clothes of all enemy soldiers is an I.V drip poised for insertion. We don't understand how it knows, but as soon as we capture a soldier, a huge overdose of Barbiturate is inserted into their bodies, killing them within minutes. Clever too, Barbiturate is something rarely used or produced so it's hard to have anti-agents on site to combat it as soon as it is injected," she replied almost offhandedly.

The room became silent apart from subtle hum from the table. Shinji knew something else was up but he was hesitant to ask as he was not sure if he wanted to know. His hand clenched and unclenched as he thought about it before realizing he may be avoiding the issue instead of facing it. _I mustn't run, I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away, I-_

"Shinji...do you realise how many people died today?" she asked slowly.

Shinji looked up with a confused expression and shook his head.

"So far...2.9 million people excluding the unconfirmed and missing," she filled him in. She ignored Shinji's gulp and continued, "I wanted to come here with the expectation with a maximum, the true maximum, of maybe 500,000 dead."

She placed her hands on the table and leaned forward. Normally Shinji would be admiring the beautiful arch in her back, however, right now, in this room, it was all becoming too emotional. This was the first glimpse of a different side of Asuka Shinji had not seen, with care and regret in her voice.

"My plan was perfect; I factored in everything. The Chinese forces, the enemy forces, the Tacstra, equipment, weather, battle formation, environment, battle length, intel and the destruction." She looked at him and stood back up straight. "I critically looked over my plan of the Evangelion, I counted on them to work together in order to defeat the Tacstra swiftly and abruptly. There was one thing I did not count on. One thing that I knew would be useless no matter how much was done," her eyes almost glowed in the light, a sapphire blue that demanded a fixed attention and nothing less. "I discounted the Shinji Ikari sitting on his ass while he knew people were going to die."

Shinji was shocked, so shocked that all he could do was stare in horror and confusion. "W-What...?" was all he could say as he felt like he had been crushed by an anvil. He was expecting a lot of harsh stuff out of Asuka but this was just...

"I discounted the..._boy_ who would just watch and shout commands that was as effective as a fish struggling from its butcher. A boy who ignored the dangers of what was going to take place and the lives that would be lost." Her eyes were cold but her voice spoke with truth and not scorn, and that hurt the most. "A boy watching a puppy yelp as it is stabbed and its master just orders it to fight back. A boy who was known as the incredible Shinji: an asshole who liked to play dumb."

She moved to the table and pressed a few buttons and a display popped up showing hundreds of injured, blood covered men, women and children. Bones sticking out of joints, shrapnel digging into skin, blood fountaining from wounds, teeth and nails missing from children who did not realise the importance of such things. Cries of pain and tears for the dead.

It was horrible.

"This, Shinji, is what happens when you play your bullshit," she told him darkly as he stared in mind numbing sorrow and self-loathing. "Men and women picked up rifle and knife to defend themselves. They carried away their young and old, worked together to make their way across a death zone. They dug their bare feet into biting earth and clung to unforgiving steel that ripped into their hands which pooled blood. They did all this for their survival. And you know what...?" she asked.

Shinji just stared, fighting his pain and need to cry, for to cry would mean he was a victim, and Shinji Ikari was no victim.

"They were swept away by a blast that destroyed over 80 miles worth of lives that soared quickly over the one million mark. And how many thousands do you think could have been saved if you had just piloted it?" She asked nonchalantly.

Shinji began to sink to his knees. He was stopped as Asuka rushed over to him and held him up with the fiercest expression he had ever seen.

"Don't you dare drop to your knees. Don't you dare!" she screamed at his face. "You don't deserve to cry. You're not them Ikari. They used everything they had from the beginning. They didn't command others to fire and not do so themselves! They fought with everything they had and more, they earned a continued existence but that was snuffed out because you did not even have half the resolve to take responsibility until you had to save your own ass!" She let go of him and backed up away from him as he shook slightly with the building tension in his mind, body and soul.

"It's not my place to be hurt by your inaction. I understand the agreement we had Shinji, but you're not a machine or a monster. Shinji, it's exactly because you're none of those things that make your ignorance so unacceptable. I don't hate you for this Shinji, I'm just disappointed," she said finally looking away from him to the live feed of the people.

She pressed a few buttons and two screens came up, one with a face of a missing person, the other that of a dead body. "You did not take their lives but your inaction lead to their demise. As such, you will spend the rest of the day cross listing the missing with the dead as atonement for your inaction... Agreed?" She asked looking back at him, his eyes were so painful to look at as he stared at the live feed. He nodded simply. "I need to hear you, Shinji."

"Yes, Asuka," were his watery words.

"You're not allowed to cry Shinji, I've not lost respect for you. You still saved billions more lives. I will lose my respect for you if you do not keep the burden inside of you, on your shoulders," she softened her expression some as she began to leave.

She walked passed him and stopped; she steeled herself, turned around and placed a hand on his back. He let out a haggard breath before stopping himself at Asuka's hand tightening on his shirt. "I know what it is like. Me and Toji…" her voice was tight and Shinji forgot his own pain for a moment. "I can't tell you about it, it's too... But Toji, ask him sometime, he'll tell you the whole story."

Asuka let go and left, she did not look back as Shinji collapsed but held in his tears. His scream of anguish hurt her but it felt good knowing he would eventually overcome it. Shinji needed this, he could not do the whole "advisor" bullshit any more. He needed to wake up and recognise how important this was, or better coined by Toji, put your all into it or fuck off. It was a rough and immature way of putting it but it was also the best way for it to hit home.

She picked up her caller and sent Misato a message notifying her off what took place. She was not surprised when she was called back on a line that was officially meant to be used as an emergency line only. Misato often put official and her own personal priorities in the same category. The ear full that was about to come her way was going to be long and painful but it was damn worth it if it meant Shinji would be back in the fight.

"Baka Shinji…" she said softly.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Martin yawned as he read a letter from the president. The man was sitting in his office with the lights on as the sun was not yet high enough for him to turn them off. He stood up and stretched and pulled at his tie before going to a drawer to pull out some files for reference.

Martin was known as the "Connection" or "Connector" to his colleagues due to his reputation as a type liaison for NERV. It was a running joke for he had no clearance to even enter NERV, yet he still did work for them when he was technically working for the government. The government had employed him from Germany after considerable contributions he had made to strengthen relations between the East and his homeland. Martin was looking to stay close to Asuka so when the job offer was made he could hardly refuse.

Martin was actually born in Austria but was raised in Germany. He had met Asuka a few times when they were little before she moved onto college way ahead of him. Her entry into college was for reasons unknown to him and even today, he could only chalk it up to an official statement to get her focusing on piloting earlier. He could also believe she had passed the preliminary exams for such a military career, but not because of their ease.

It was not until after third impact that he had met her again as she returned to Germany a hero and a legend. She worked very specifically in politics with strengthening trust in NERV and due to his similar political ambitions, they found themselves working together.

Not more than two years ago he had met a very respectable person and friend named Kensuke Aida who was adept at playing the ball and chain game of politicians and aristocrats. The U.N was now based in NERV. That meant all of the best politicians the world had to offer were right on his doorstep and could be on his case in moments if they detected any hint of perfidy.

It was tough. Which meant you had to be tougher, you had to crush competition or be subservient to them and Martin was rarely the latter unless a full conference was under way.

He found two sheets in the drawer with the files of Loroko Muritaka, an unknown. There was no data on him, just date of birth, name, and blood type. At first it was suspected that he was a sleeper agent planted by the H.I.C but this theory was later discredited after the Horizon event.

He wondered how well he would react with his new Evangelion whatever number it was. The boy had shown surprising potential, not enough to match Shinji or Asuka in their first synchronisation tests but enough to be an eye opener.

A knock on his door made him look up to find Jack Steinbeck and Kensuke entering the room. He was not so surprised to see Kensuke but to see Jack here was unusual. In fact, wasn't Jack supposed to be in China on investigation? "What's wrong?" he asked quickly.

Kensuke glanced at Jack's larger form as he stepped towards Martin. "You need to come with us, no questions, no arguments, just shut up and move," Kensuke instructed swiftly. Martin glanced over at Jack who had his face lowered and a hand to his ear as he listened to reports. Seeing how the situation may get bad for him if he did not cooperate, he simply nodded and walked towards Kensuke.

Kensuke, Jack and Martin left the room and made a brisk walk to the elevator. Martin noticed Jack and Kensuke looking down halls, through windows and dark corners, they did this to the point where he started to copy them as his anxiety increased. Thankfully he was more than prepared for a dreadful situation after the Horizon event.

They pressed for an elevator once they reached it and Jack placed a hand on his hip as he looked around before the elevator arrived. To Martin's surprise, Kensuke reached inside his coat and pulled out a silenced pistol. "What the fuck?" Martin whispered to which Kensuke ignored. The elevator arrived with Kensuke already aiming at the doors.

The doors parted and Kensuke made a quick and thorough scan before giving the all clear. Just as they were about to step into the elevator, Kensuke looked at his watch, grit his teeth, and stepped back. He told them to take the stairs to which Jack quickly agreed to as they moved away from the elevator.

They had walked slowly until Jack and Kensuke suddenly started running down the stairs as quickly as possible. Martin found himself jumping large numbers of steps and speeding along with the others. Thankfully they were on the fifth floor so it was not long to reach the bottom floor. They practically flew towards the exit and out the doors. Martin, in slight panic at the unknown situation, rushed towards the reinforced limousine before being yanked away by Jack. Kensuke smashed the driver's-side window of another car.

Martin checked around him and did not even register his own surprise as Kensuke unlocked the door and hotwired the car. Jack guided Martin towards the car and tossed him into the back seat before joining him. The car was not what Martin would personally have selected as means of transport for a man of his standing, yet he found himself ignoring minor things like that for the assurance of his life.

Martin hissed as he sat on a piece of broken glass. "Fucking shit…" he was jerked back as the car started and jolted forward away from the U.N offices. "Can you tell me what's going on now?" he asked angrily as he sat up to pull the piece of glass out of his rear.

Jack leaned over and clipped Martin's seat belt in before doing his own and handing him a pencil. "Shut the fuck up, bite this, close your eyes, and think of Asuka," he said swiftly before digging in his pocket for another pencil he handed to Kensuke.

"What?" he asked completely confused as he looked at the pencil in his hand.

"Just do it!" Kensuke said with slight difficulty as he talked around the pencil.

Kensuke rarely shouted at anyone. This was beyond anything that Martin could figure out. The instructions given to him by Jack sent nothing but dread running through his body. Were you supposed think of your loved ones when you were about to die?

He glanced over to Jack who was leaned forward, pencil in his mouth, eyes closed, body relaxed. He appeared to be thinking of his loved ones. Martin glanced back to the pencil in misery, knowing almost certainly something terribly life-threatening was about to happen. He swallowed; put the pencil in his mouth for a reason he did not understand and quickly began to think of Asuka.

He thought of the smile she gave him when he took her to the park, and the games they played when they were kids. He thought of their happy reunion, the dates and dinners with fine wine. He thought of the future, of Asuka running into his arms, of the two of them in a tender embrace, of marriage, of her and... Shinji?

He tensed as the fifteen storey office building was erased in an explosion of such force that it blasted away their own car that had almost made it a full mile away. The car was propelled off the road and into the forest, landing in the wet mud. The car was on its back, glass shattered, dents everywhere, missing three tires, the boot and roof gone. There was blood everywhere.

Nothing moved for a moment until a hand fell out of a window. As the sun made its grand appearance and began to heat the atmosphere, its golden rays fell on the scene of carnage.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Authors notes:

This was three days late because of sending issues but that's it.

I really liked this chapter....not sure why. I did li9ke the whole making Shinji book up, we are getting really close to the turning point now.

**Shouts outs:**

**Fraulein Kaname Langley: **As stated above, I had some problems with getting the chapter to the editor and I was not going to upload it if it was not ready as quality is a big deal with my uploads nowadays. But at least I updated today.

**LT-NightWarp: **Short...I thought it was average as 12-14 pages is my average and anything lower being short and anything above 20 being long. The next two chapters will be filling more blanks than making new ones which is kind if what is needed at this point.

I enjoyed you liked the little glimpse of Kaji but there is such a huger meaning to it all...

As for the event of Toji, Asuka and pretty much everyone apart from Shinji, known as Horizon event, that will be the last chapter, chapter 15.

**Nasar7: **Sorry the lack of Shinji in recent chapters, I need to open up more territory for me to work with before a fling the reader into it and staying on Shinji's viewpoint for too long can be counter-productive. 

You're not alone, I never like Ocs straight off the bat and exclusion of the main characters is a huge turn off for me in any form of fiction. The next will be longer because they have to be. That means more time so expect a later release date in early July.

**(Gets oxygen tank and inhales at Daetor's review)**

**Daetor: **Does the Coil have an A.T field....look up A.T field at Evageeks and once you understand the article you should get your answer. 

The bands can not be reproduced but can be copied like the lance of longinus and the fake lances. I don't believe the Coil to be stringer than Evangelion as the Coil was up against Toji who's not really prepared and this chapter hints heavily that Asuka could have handled it if were not for the crippled unit 03.

The Coils are limited for a reason that has nothing to do with production.

If you look at the battle, in a way Toji did the right thing as he did not know if the Coil had a core so pure head damage should have done something. The bands are destructible but not physically so (That will be explained in next chapter.) Asuka saw the bands as unimportant and she was more focused on damaging the coil then chancing hitting equipment. She may have attacked them if she could have got Toji out of there.

The Coil would fall apart but death by a thousand stabs is not accurate, just think about what you already know about the Coil and parts of an answer for its durability and its regeneration will start to make sense. The bands can not be defined or measured with physical values.

IT does take time to put one together with a small team of like 50 and small budget. However, after the test of the prototype, Coil's will be high in demand and the production speed will be cut drastically but like I said, limitations imposed have nothing to do with production of the Coil.

No comment on what she saw, keeping this one very close to the chest. I will say this, watch end of Evangelion again. I have said I'll stay as accurate as possible so in that you should see hints and some...inconsistencies...?

unit 01' timing has always been superb and astounding to say the least. It's one of the few things that make Eva 01 and in effect Shinji, so great. Best example was when Asuka killed the angel in the volcano and began to fall to her doom to have Shinji come down and save her.

Asuka sense, lol, they'll be more of that later.

How long will it be...hmm never thought about it...we'll see I guess, it will be long, just not sure how very long it will be.

**End shouts outs**

Special thanks To my Beta reader for her wonderful and amazingly quick work that I must always applaud, great dedication and effort from her.

Next chapter will be on 9th July 2009. So you then and expect a longer chapter!

I posted this today because I'm getting a new game tomorrow and I'm going to see transformers at Imax so I'm really pumped for it and I wanted to start my day waking up to reviews! Lol, yes, all planned out. Don't be afraid to slightly stunt my day for constructive critisim because I always love it when I look at a review and it changes something in my work. Really helps.

So you guys in about 3 weeks!

You rule the world FrogBISCUITS!


	11. This sentence is false

**This sentence is false**

Misato made her way to the intense care infirmary with a brisk walk...well more like a jog with a expression that told everyone she came across that stopping her might prove fatal.

She had just received word of the partially successful extraction of Martin. Apparently the investigation team had found bombs covering demolition points around the building disguised as fire hydrants, first aid kits and other standard equipment. It turned out well that Jack and Kensuke had worked quickly in escaping, but the other section two and four agents were not so lucky.

Twenty nine dead and nine more critically wounded. Kensuke, Martin and Jack had suffered injury themselves, however, Ritsuko had assured her that they would be good to go in a few days.

However, her concern was not on them. No, there was another patient injured in the infirmary which demanded her immediate attention.

It seemed the H.I.C had planned on more than just hitting China, they had also planned and acted out assassination attempts on some key NERV personnel across the globe. One area of which was Rio Grande Do Sul in Brazil.

Misato stepped into the infirmary and was quickly directed to ward room one hundred and twenty one. It was past visiting hours but Misato was not. She opened the door to find a man asleep in one bed with a cast on his leg and a bandage around his head. A young woman was sat next to him, her head resting gently at the man's side. As Misato approached she realized the young woman had tear streaks around her eyes, an indication she may have cried herself to sleep. She also sported bandages around her arms and some going underneath her infirmary gown. Misato knew from the nurse that the girl's name was Maria and was a friend of Shinji's and the man lying in the bed; Axel Rodriguez.

Misato went around the other side of the bed and pulled out a small bottle, She popped the seal and waved it underneath the man's nose. Rodriguez moaned and slowly came to with a wince of the horrible smell still burning his nostrils. The pain inflicted upon as well as the numbing senses of painkillers running across his skull caused some disorientation. It took Rodriguez a moment to look at Misato and even longer to recognize her for who she was.

He nodded slowly, weakly. "Commander," He whispered, he glanced at Maria and made sure not to move too much to wake her, she had suffered enough, she needed the rest.

"How are you?" She asked slowly, concern written across her face. Rodriguez was one of her first supporters after the third impact and had been instrumental in getting her to the rank of commander and keeping tabs on the H.I.C. She had insurmountable trust in him to the point where she had commissioned him to look after Shinji, a year after third impact.

He and Kurokari went way back but Rodriguez had also worked for the Marduk institute, secretly know as the screening branch of pilots for NERV. He had been one of its leading members in the organization and dedication to finding Evangelion pilots. Because of these facts he was quite deep in the underground and classified network and had quickly used his connection to keep NERV together as it built itself up.

Rodriguez had also felt guilt over the selection of the pilots due to their nature and the amount of weight they had put on their shoulders. 13-15 year old who had never seen a gun fired before in their life had to be sent against man's greatest threat, apart from themselves. Forced to grow up from an early age to act like adults in a child's body. Forced to watch men and women die from the angels, forced to suffer physically and mentally, cut from society and viewed as nothing more than fighting machines by their superiors who took no account for their mental strength or age.

That was why he had taken Shinji under his wing, to protect him like he should have instead of sending him to battle while he sat inside an ultra secure mountain sipping on a cup of coffee searching for more prospect pilots.

"I feel like grounded horse shit." He coughed lightly. "The lab coats won't even let me light one up," He said gruffly motioning his head towards a packet of cigarettes and a few other possessions.

Misato smiled and shook her head. "You know you can't do that, I'm in enough trouble with Ritsuko as it is. I don't want to add you smoking yourself into an early grave as something to add to the already endless list." She said slyly eliciting a small restrained chuckle from him.

Rodriguez's smile slowly disappeared as he looked down at Maria, he remembered hearing her screams as another air strike had thrown him through a window thanks to the blasting force.

Misato watched him stare at Maria with a pinched, pained expression. "What happened Axel?" She almost whispered. Rodriquez did not turn to her as he shook his head slowly.

"Special operatives walked into the town, passing themselves as NERV operatives." Misato's nose wrinkled as if she had come across a bad smell. "They acted like NERV Spec ops, or tried to at least, until I met them. Once they realised I knew who they were they began a full on attack. I had already called in the NERV patrol before I met them but..." He trailed off finally turning to her with a regretful expression. "I could only save Maria and Hailum, they captured Roger and Alicia and killed everyone else until the NERV forces showed up. Before I knew it a full air raid came down and wiped Rio Grande Do Sul off the map, we were lucky to be in the air at the time it came." He finished looking to the ceiling with glazed eyes.

Misato shook her head and looked to the floor. "What did they want?" She questioned carefully not wanting to push the man, however, Misato knew Rodriguez was understanding and a harder class of a soldier, he could take the questions but it could not hurt to help.

"Maybe information on any other prospect pilots, I had to erase all data on all the prospect pilots apart from the ones going to the schools in new Tokyo-3. I'm not sure if it helped but don't be surprised if you find no data on some of your pilots." He informed her reaching up to scratch his head. "They'll probably interrogate Roger and Alicia for information, and then kill them or use them as bargaining chips. We can't let Shinji know they're captured, he'd go rushing off to save them." he said monotonously, a trait he often showed when objectifying something or cutting it off.

"What should I tell Shinji?" She asked, looking for guidance as she doubted she could manipulate the truth from Shinji, not directly anyway.

"Tell him that everyone in Rio Grande Do Sul, except for me, Hailum and Maria, died or are missing, he'll accept that." He said, no further explanation to justify it to her or himself and she knew he did not need it. Axel may be Shinji's guardian but he was no saint, far from it. He had given out multiple kill orders to protect secrecy and must have been involved in many shady dealings back in the past. Misato was not so tempered.

She nodded and stood, she glanced over to the packet of cigarettes and walked over to them to be surprised when she saw there were two cigars inside of them. She could not tell their origin or brand but it must be excellent if Rodriguez smoked them. She pulled one free and walked over to Rodriguez and placed one awkwardly in his mouth, quickly realizing he had fewer teeth in his left cheek and quickly moved the cigar to his right before ripping the seal off the top of the cigar which lit it instantly.

Rodriquez took a massive drag and exhaled with a slight cough but a smile was on his face. "Enjoy that old man, as soon as you're out of here I'm putting you back to work." She said with a respective nod which he returned painfully. As she looked back she heard the girl cough and rouse before she left the room.

"You'll get mama back, won't you Mister Rodriguez" She heard her say.

"Aah" He replied earning a sad smile from Misato as she focused back onto more important matters, the next attack of the H.I.C and the mobilization of her army.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**NERV: Chinese Branch**

"Yeah...like I said; six more hours and I'll be right there" Toji paused to hear Hikari in her hysterics. She had been sending messages to speak to him for a while but he had been busy making sure the temporary armour of his Evangelion was combat ready as he might be called into battle. Apparently their had been a planned raid on Martins office to which Jack and Kensuke and quickly swooped in to the rescue. Not that Toji hated Martin, far from it. but he failed to see a proper excuse to save Martin. Of course, there was the fact that Martin did owe Toji a chunk of money for their little bet at the game.

He was just happy no one was critical or needed new limbs, God knows, he knew how that felt. In all honesty, Toji just wanted to secure that he had a satisfying meal for when he got back. He also had the devil sitting in front of him as private calls could not be taken due to public lines being congested with calls and complaints. This forced Toji to use the only private line he could trust and that was Asuka's. Lest he be interrupted mid conversation for "saying too much".

"Yeah, you tell him I want my money too, k? Aww Hikari, don't make me say the L word in front of Asuka. "He struggled looking at Asuka out of the corner of her eye to spot a large grin on her face and sapphire eyes glowing humour. He winced at Hikari's growing temper and accusations of not loving her. "Okay, okay. I love you, I really do...yeah, I'll see you later, Love you" He said hanging up with a sigh before glaring at Asuka as she giggled. "What?" He asked defensively.

"It never ceases to amaze me to hear guys struggle to say I love you." She said with a mischievous smile.

Toji stood straight and folded his arms. "You can talk, Asuka." She frowned at him. "The way you drilled Shinji five new ass holes was so anti I love you." He said taking a seat opposite her and her desk.

Asuka leaned back and looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Well, I guess I was a bit harsh." She said.

"And unfair. I personally don't think Shinji deserved all of that, sure I understand what you mean about inaction and even doubly so after the Horizon event." He said nodding his head with his own words. "Though, you got to remember he never signed up to pilot Eva, he signed up to help with teaching us and helping-"

"I'll admit that some of it was undeserved but who are we kidding, Shinji's no strategist, he can just about read synchronisation ratio readings but he can't understand the other readings, how they work, what they mean, or what to do if they go to low or high. I realize Shinji is Shinji but let's face it, we replaced someone who actual knew what to do and how to operate the device and readings with Shinji who doesn't have a clue." She argued back and Toji made a face of consideration.

"I guess I see what you're saying. I still think you should have handled it better, fuck sake, Asuka, you made it sound like he was the one who murdered those people. Sure, he needs to man up to the fact that he's only good at piloting Eva, but aren't we kind of emotionally blackmailing him?" He asked seriously, watching as Asuka's head was slightly lowered and her eyes scanned her desk.

She sighed. "Yeah, okay, I'll go and apologise, it's just..." She stopped, biting her cheeks as her eyes intensified. She huffed and looked out of the window of her office to look at the ruined sky of China, filled with smoke and flame.

"The Horizon event, huh?" He asked also turning his head to look out the window as she nodded. "How long has it been...two, three years?" He asked rhetorically with a yawn. "That was messed up, what with all those people dead or dying. You shouldn't blame yourself though, it wasn't your fault, you didn't do anything wrong." He told her.

"Your wrong, Toji" She replied closing her eyes and leaning back. "The thing I did wrong was do nothing, they all died because I didn't do anything, I just sat there in the Eva while they died, all those soldiers had fought and died for their families and I come along and in their time of need I do jack shit." She said calmly having talked about this subject many times.

Toji was silent for a moment before getting up stretching. "You want to go outside, stretch the legs and get this shit over and done with. Not sure about you but I can't wait for this to be over, I really can't." He said flexing his muscles to get rid of their strain.

Asuka stared at the idiot. Five years ago the very thought of going anywhere to hang out with Toji would have revolted her. However, after the battles, his intense connection and love to Hikari and the amount of help and support he gave her during the Horizon event. She now saw him as one of her best friends, they were not too close, their personalties just had natural south pole hates south pole negation.

"Sure, why not?" she said getting up and picking up her jacket to place on her shoulders. They both left out the door, a lot on their mind but with no clue with what was to come.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"So, Drake, how's the next one coming, as you suggested; I've provided you a soldier, a militiaman at that, nothing to glorious but enough to crush the Evangelions." The General said over the phone to Drake.

Drake was half listening to the General half looking over the massive amount of people working on the next Coil and its armaments. From a measly crew of 500 scientists, engineers and technicians, to a grand five thousand and budget with more zeros that could not fit onto a check, and they design checks to fit them, he was quite busy working on other projects to do with the Coil and the overall supervision of all the departments. "Of course, General, that's if we can get the soul affixed to the body, However, we're not starting the bonding until the end of this month, so far the production or the Ouroboros bands takes priority along with an armour system that can accommodate the Coil's ever changing form." He spoke into his head piece as he made a quick sign to a group of technicians who were working on the lasers currently working their magic on the bands.

"Armour, The Coil needs armour?" The General with a hint of confusion, distrust...and fear?

"The Coil has no A.T field and can be easily punctured by any high calibre Evangelion of Trident weaponry. The only reason the Coil lasted as long it did was because the enemy was not expecting it. Any next encounters won't be so forgiving. So in order for us to secure the long life of the Coil we need to protect it as well as we can." Drake replied as he descended some stairs to where he left his PDA to check for updates.

"I'm not sure about the A.T field being non existent...is there any research being put into it?" The General asked sounding more panicked, as if Drake could really give a damn.

"None of that was in my development brief, so no, no research is being done at this junction and we are so tied with your other projects that we won't have the budget to cover it this time. I suggest we wait to the completion of the Coil and Zeus before working on anything else."Drake said nonchalant as he read a few updates to do with shipments of body parts. Being so busy was a pay off, it gave him less time to reflect on his morales and worries and just slammed him into his work.

"Fine, fine, just make sure it gets done and project Zeus is not to be mention over this form of communication and neither is project Tiberius, understood?" The General asked trying to regain control of his composure.

"Perfectly." He hung up before the General could, a little stab to the General's dominance that he would certainly not like. It seemed he was losing some power or control in whatever he was up to. Whatever the reason, it seemed Drake's position and importance was on the increase and he was being less intimidated with threats during their previous conversations. Could the General be looking to turn over a new leaf? Hell no...

"Was that the General?"

Drake looked over his shoulder to watch Ross limp over to him, it had been three days since the soldiers had pulled out of China and Drake had to admit that Ross was healing at a staggering rate. Ross was more of a loose soldier in that he did not like having a jar head and now, as a lieutenant, he had the rank to override such mandates. Ross was handsome with blonde spiky, messy hair and sharp green eyes.

The only bad thing about Ross was his mental problem in that he was mostly apathetic which Drake could attribute to a type of autism. Ross also had little sense of loyalty, the most he could do was act out human emotions and patriotism but he could never truly mean it to save his life. None of his fellow soldiers knew why he fought and it was a rumour that he did it because he was told to.

Drake did not really want to know Ross' reasoning, all he knew was that Ross was his shadow, the man with a blade underneath his chin, ready to give him a second smile before he could realise it was coming.

"Yes, just asking about research into A.T. Fields." He said quickly, hoping the man did not wish to speak further. He preferred it when Ross did not talk and just followed him, the man was creepy and Drake wanted to ignore his presence away.

"How long until the completion of the Coil?" Ross asked and Drake cursed his luck.

"A month, maybe another week added to that, until it's combat ready..." He thought about that for a moment. "Probably seven to nine weeks if we don't get any hiccups but I really doubt that."

"Why?"

Drake sighed. "Because what should have been a 7 month project turned into 3 year one because of all the problems we ran into. Granted, we have learned a lot from the prototype in terms of production but the more things we have to add the harder it becomes. Not too mention a body part could be difficult to synchronise with the Coil." Drake explained as he looked down at the Coil that was in the muscle graphing stage.

"So how do you know you have the right body parts?" Ross pushed.

"To create the main component of a Coil, we use a mixture of prayon's atoms and blast spacial radiation which we extract from the bands of Ouroboros" He said pointing to the lasers pulling energy from the bands. "We record this energy signature and insert this energy signal into the flesh we find. If their is an acceptance the body part will be resurrected and take on a healthy colour or may begin to function. If not compatible then nothing happens. That's how." Drake answered wearily of Ross' fascination.

"And the soul?"

Hoping this was his last question Drake went onto explain. "Most of the time we use prospect Evangelion souls. Normally, finding the soul is quite problematic as the Coil needs to be constructed carefully and at a fixed rate. If we were to stop, the Coil would fall apart, if we sped up, same thing. The Coil has three production stages, stage one, any child can synchronise with it. At Stage two; those with a troubled mentality or past is required as the bands keeps mental and physical states together. If the mental psychology is relativity fine then the bands have no need to "help" keep their mental state in good condition and no synchronisation is possible. Stage 3 is the most difficult as the bands switch to a mode where it uses its power instead of just on a kind of standby mode. This means it draws on the soul for it to manifest its power and the same thing for the Coil but the requirements for the previous stage needs to be met. That's why we use soldiers, especially those suffering from depression due to their acts in war." Drake finished and moved away to go back upstairs to the observatory.

"So," Drake paused and bit his lip Ross went on. "If I wanted to be a soul for it-"

"We would have to kill you first" Was Drake's last words.

Ross watched him go before limping over to the railing to look down at the Coil. The desire to be a God, the power to end life and maybe even create. The invincibility and the battles one could have with Evangelion. To be worshipped by all and to be known as the greatest being to ever have walked the earth. It was a forbidden fruit that desired to be touched, like a vintage wine that had a flavour pounded out by the Gods and in a glass made of life itself. All these emotions, wants and needs that any man would consider, would tease, nibble and poke at, all these desire...

And Ross felt none of it.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Shinji, Shinji."_

_A small boy awoke with a flutter of his eyes, his head resting on a pillow of his mother's lap while he had slept away the day. The beating hot sun tried to scrape at his feet as the apple green tree leaves hovered above him to provide him just the right amount of shade to cover him but leave cracks in an pattern only know to them like an inside joke only the joker knew._

_The boy, no more than four, looked up at his mother with sleepy smile before rubbing his eyes with the back of his small hands. A smart breeze frazzled his hair as he leaned off of his mother's lap to take in the world around him._

_From his feet was the beautiful wash of grass with a scent in the air of freshly plants and pollen that tickled his nose but made no rise for an eventual sneeze. From his feet the grass lead down a hill to a court yard sprinkled in elegant mixture of tulips, phlox's, honeysuckle, passion flowers,amaryllis', Iris' and few grouped out anemone's to accent the vibrant colours that seemed echo Shinji's mood. _

_Beyond that was a beautiful water fountain made of a snake curling round to make a type of podium that had a woman of long flowing hair of an unreal bronze holding a red apple as red as her lips. Her nudity, her body, was too gorgeous to be defiled, to be seen upon with eyes of carnal possession. No, her beauty was adored and perfect, so perfect that everything around her looked like excrement dispelled from the most horrible and insufferable creature unimaginable. _

_The statue of the woman shook and the white marble comprising her body turned into flesh with a sun kissed touch with a sheen the looked like gold and enhanced her voluptuousness. The woman leaned forward and fixed her eyes on the little boy with a genuine smile and held out her hand in a gesture for him to come._

_Shinji, too young to appreciate the woman's figure but old enough to see the warmth emanating from her person, turned to his mother to ask for permission. His mother lovingly at her child, placed her hands on his his cheeks and leaned forward to kiss his head with pride before nodding her consent._

_Shinji ran down the hill as fast as his little legs could carry him and his mother giggled at his awkward and enthusiastic run. The woman knelt as 5'11 frame demanded she kneel to be able to reach him from her small entrapment inside the snake's podium. _

_Shinji noticed the woman's eyes changing blue and her changing a red that was equal to that of the ominous, yet, glorified colour of blood. Shinji slowed down in awe of her and a slight stab of unworthiness stung inside himself. What if he broke her, what if he was not good enough? _

_The marble snake became animate and began to coil around the woman as if noticing her for the first time. Its head was raised behind her so she could not see the hungry eyes and the slow opening of the maw to reveal fangs meant for drinking blood. _

_Shinji stared at the woman and began to call out a warning at the sudden shock and fear of the woman's well being._

_....yet, no words left Shinji's mouth, the snake's eyes had glanced over at him and seemed to be considering which one to kill first, a sign of indecision that Shinji mimicked. _

_He could save this woman's life if he opened his mouth, he could let her live, let her glory be know throughout the world. He could let other children like him see her, be comforted by her smile, by her love and caring. _

_However..._

_Shinji did not want to die. He could just not to get involve and let the snake kill her and let him live. He was just a boy, it was not his job to go out saving people, he was not old enough for that responsibility. In fact, he could turn away his eyes and close his ears, deny it even though it would be going on. Was he not entitled to a life? Was he not entitled to a world of potential and opportunities?_

_NO! _

_No He could not just ignore it, he had to help her, maybe they could do something together, help fend it off, maybe his mother...Of course! His mother. Shinji looked up to the hill to find his mother gone and a sense a loneliness and fear welled up inside of him only for it to turn into fright and dread at the sound of went crunch and snap accompanied by a splatter of liquid on his back. _

_The sound of struggling and a gargled cry for help wailed across the sky. Shinji's eyes were transfixed to the front of him while he thought of what he could. She was caught, the woman was caught by the snake with a face as big as his entire body. He could not hope to fight back, he could not do it, not now or maybe ever. _

_Shinji knelt and covered his ears as the cries intensified and the sound of blood splattering on grass increased. "Stop it! Don't die! Don'tdiedon'tdiedon'tdiedon'tdiedon'tdieDON'TDIE!!" He screamed to her trying to encourage her to fight back but also encouraging himself that she would not die._

_His body quivered as the sound of tearing flesh became a new instrument in the sound of death but the woman's cries continued. Shinji jerked and looked down as eight more sneaks of white marble passed by with lips of ruby and diamond slits for eyes as they joined in the killing the stripping of the woman._

_Shinji shut back his eyes as words echoed in his head. __**You shouldn't run away,**__ "I mustn't run away" __**you shouldn't run away, "**__I mustn't run away,__**" you shouldn't run away! **__"I mustn't run away!" __**YOU SHOULDN'T RUN AWAY,**__ "I MUSN'T RUN AWAY!!"Shinji screamed._

_Shinji blindly flew out a fist, a small tiny fist, so inconsequential to all but having so much emotion to Shinji, which missed the snake with the woman's collarbone attached to flesh in its mouth. However, even though the fist had passed an unbelievable power followed and decimated all nine snakes into the basic materials in a flash of stupendous colours that would have dazzled Shinji blind if his eyes were not shut. _

_Shinji listened with his eyes clenched shut, listening for the rise of an counter-offensive to his unappreciated attempt at attacking the snakes. There was silence the echoed apart from the heavy and forced breathing of Shinji and the slow rhythmic, pained, wet breaths of the woman. Shinji opened his eyes to find the snakes gone and he jumped in the air for joy._

_He had beaten back the evil snakes, he had saved the lands and himself from their sadistic and vindictive tortures. He looked back up to the hill to find his mother calling to him in approval and the sound of cheery birds in the air encapsulated him in a sense of peace and triumph. He felt a hand grab him on his leg and he was confused for a second before smiling realising it was the woman ready to thank him for saving her from those snakes._

_He turned around and his smile disappeared. He looked down to the stripped face of the woman had an eye dangling from its socket. Her mouth, her lips, were stripped with nothing but her gums to show with her jaw being ripped off and dangling a piece of flesh against what little hair she had left/ Her nose had been torn in two, her forehead had been chilled along with her scalp exposing flesh and bone with clumps of hair left here and there. Her body was the true ruin with her intestines being ripped out and left all around her with tears and ripped holes in them. Most of her lower body had been gnawed off leaving only the bone and a bit of flesh on her left leg but without a foot and right leg. Her right arm was gone her left arm was missing fingers and was broken in three places. Her chest was exposed, breast ripped asunder exposing removed ribs a lung that was somehow still connected but punctured and lying near her but not in her. Her heart was on display and pumping weakling while blood pooled from the one hole in the heart. Most atrociously was the fact her spinal colum and her other lung was floating half submerged in the pond close by._

_Shinji stared into the woman's one working eye only to fall into them, landing in a see of screams of thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions of people who begged him, praised him and hated him. They grabbed at his clothes and skin leaving bloody marks. _

_Shinji's mind was in a panic, this was n_ot possible, he had tried to sa_ve them, was it his fault he did not pilot Eva, he had_ a deal, he was only meant to help them in intelligence and field management not actual combat. How can he blamed when he did not expect to be co_unted on and why should he. Had he not done enough? Had he not done!?_

_Of course he did, he had thought for people who blackmailed him and gave off their emotional bullshit and mixed messages of "Oh, fight for yourself and not others" What a load of shit. _

"What a load of shit!" He shouted at the crying people who carried on unmoved. "Bullshit, fuck you, I left this wor_ld behind, I left it behind because you didn't recognise me, you all took me for granted, you nev_er gave a flying fuck! You never appreciated I was only 14, you never appreciated the fact I saved your lives EVERY FUCKING TIME!" HE screamed with such unspent rage that world around him swirled with his po_wer._

"_You want me to help? Fine, I will help you but not because of your emotional bullshit, you want me to help you you tell me it strai_ght, fuck you! Don't project your woes onto me!" He looked each and everyone of them in their blue eyes. "Don't project onto me. You think I want to see you suffer, you think I choose not to help you because I don't care?" He asked them

"_If you really thin_k that then fine, I don't care, I really fucking don't because if you think that at this point, after all I've done, then fine, I _never asked for this bullshit, I never wanted it!" _He pointed a finger at her.

"I care about you all, but you don't appreciate that, just because you call me invincible doesn't mean I can't be hurt. I'm sorry it doesn't" He leaned "It doesn't, never fucking will. I'll agree to pilot Eva but that shit in there was bullshit." He started to walk away from Asuka who was stood in shock in front of her entire staff.

"And Asuka, don't ever project your problems and short comings onto me again. "He said darkly. "Every single person in NERV did that to me and it fucking destroyed me, as a friend and a fellow pilot I thought you would have realised that by now." He finished before walking out with the hiss of a door.

Shinji walked out in silence before his brow creased and he slowly realised he was walking, He was awake!?

"Wait, what the..."He looked behind him in pure puzzlement, it was mind boggling, how was it possible to fuse a dream with reality. When the hell did he doze off doing those reports, when had he found Asuka, how long had he been talking to her, when did the dream start and reality end?

No, it made no sense, it felt so much like a dream, hell, he could barely recall what he had said but he knew it was good, and damn it, it was due coming. He wondered how hard he had laid into Asuka, should he have been so hostile, so emotional, why had he snapped so bad? Sure he had been rationalizing the harshness of Asuka's speech before but he had a policy never to return flame with flame. It was completely unlike him, a contradictory to his nature...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Toji had been surprised but then the surprise had went away as Shinji went on. He was not surprised, everyone had their snapping point, even Shinji, it felt good to hear Shinji say those words. He glanced at Asuka who was utterly surprised, not at Shinji's words but by how much vehemence and strength he put into them.

The closest Shinji ever got to shouting was in battle when he let out a war cry or had to stress an important point. Never had she seen Shinji yell at anyone, especially her.

Asuka shook her head and recovered her expression before looking around at the affixed staff who took one glance from her soul gouging eyes and quickly went on to carry out their tasks. A nudge from behind her made Asuka turn around to face Toji who was grinning.

"Even though he's mad, I think you should go and apologise, at least it will show you have a lot of courage to apologise to him in this state." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Asuka looked defiant at first but then she considered it, it was not so obvious just how deeply she had hurt him. No, Asuka did not think she, herself, had hurt him, just the facts that she had told him about. Yes, she could admit Toji and Shinji were right, she had been projecting her own faults, a lot of the things she had said did not fit with the battle they had had. She needed to tell Shinji, explain to him more about it.

She nodded at Toji with a weak smile. "Thanks, Toji, you're a good guy."

Toji scratched his hair with an ego boosted smile. "Yeah, I know, right."

"But you're still not good enough to have Hikari, you got lucky." She said with a smirk before she turned around and quickly chased down Shinji.

"And Both of you are lucky you found each other, I doubt anyone else could be your partners." He said to himself before going to get a drink, Peps Max!

Asuka ran down the hall following Shinji's wake from directions from the NERV staff. She was not sure what she would say to him, she could not bring herself to tell him about the Horizon event, at least not all of it, it was too hard, too emotional. She was sure he could handle it but she doubted she could handle telling him, too many bad memories.

She entered the Evangelion hangar to find Shinji sitting in front of Evangelion-01, not exactly looking at it but facing it. She walked slowly over to him before stopping at a standstill not five meters behind him. She should have thought of something to start the conversation when she made her way towards him.

She looked down to find herself twiddling her fingers, disgusted at her lack of control, she quickly separated them and began to open her mouth when Shinji began for her.

"I'm sorry, Asuka, I shouldn't have yelled, even if I was mad I should have had more control." He said softly, she could tell he had calmed down significantly and Asuka could feel her own guilt growing.

"Don't apologise, I..." She stopped for a moment collecting her thoughts. "I'm the one who's sorry, what I said in the briefing room was harsh and unfair. You were right, I was projecting onto you, my own mistakes." She said softly.

"What mistakes were those?" He asked turning to look at her. Asuka snapped her head up to look at him in surprise not expecting the question. She bit her lip as images of the event flashed through mind before she closed them off.

"I can't tell you..."

There was a long silence between them as Shinji scanned her while she looked away. "Why?"

Asuka moved her arms up to fold them in front of her as some type of defensive gesture."Because it...it hurts very much to talk about." She looked at him sadly and Shinji felt his heart go out to her.

He looked back towards the Eva and Asuka's heart lurched at the thought she had pushed him away further, that is until he patted the metal floor beside him. Her demeanour turned to that of joy which she quickly suppressed to that of a smile as she walked to the spot and sat down beside him.

They sat in silence as they both thought. Shinji just had a blank head, he could not really think of anything, his anger had disappeared and now that had an apology and a reason, or at least part of a reason, for why she had said what she said, he felt settled. However, Shinji knew she wanted to sort more out. The smartest thing to do would be to wait.

He did not have to wait long. "Back in the briefing room, all that I said, some of it I meant." She began as they both stared at the purple Eva. "About your inaction and the lives lost. I know you gave your choice, your "third" choice but I wanted to get through to you that even our own personal choices should not exceed those of lives we could save if we had to pick a different path." She said slowly, hoping her more calm and soft words would go through better than her cold ones from earlier.

Shinji nodded. "I know. Now more than ever. The reports I had to do had me trace the family members...it was a horrible shock to the system to know on how many millions of people would be hurt by their lost ones. I'm glad you made me do it, I think what I was doing was selfish and maybe too optimistic. Being in Eva during the Eva wars, you just never saw people get killed. All you see is tanks, vehicles and aircraft being blown out the sky and maybe not even that, saying a force was defeated makes it seem so unimportant." He explained and Asuka smiled.

He was starting to see.

"It was not exactly the same for me, I knew people were dyeing but I made it a point not to think about it and NERV, in their own right, covered it up, they never gave us statistics, battle damage reports or how the conventional soldiers were doing. From what I could tell it was to make sure we stayed focused, so something like what happened to Toji and your reaction to the incident, would not happen. I'm not sure if I'm grateful or upset with them for that." She chipped in.

Shinji nodded before looking over to her with a mixed smile. "I said I would and I will pilot Eva. Just...I don't know, I might need...something, I don't know." He said now lost not knowing what he needed. Piloting Eva before... he could not recall how he managed it, did he stumble his way through, sure experience helped, but he did not want to "Just make it through". That route was too risky, too costly and if he was going to pilot Eva, he needed something had not had before. But what was-

Asuka put her hand on his muscular shoulder and smiled in understanding. "You need help easing into it again, Shinji."She said knowingly. "I know, Toji, Loroko and even I did. Don't worry, Shinji." She encouraged and Shinji nodded, a smile not shining on his face but still there. Asuka's expression changed to that of a sterner one, however. "But, after the most recent battle it seems you'll all need official military training."

Shinji looked shocked as he was not sure what she meant and he quickly voiced it. "Huh, simulation practice?" He guessed.

She smirked and shook her head. "The Evangelion does exactly what you tell it to and rarely anything else unless it goes berserk. In the Angel wars, you had really no combat training and I had done only a little in self defence as the higher ups thought that defeating an Angel would be as simple as walking up to one, neutralising its A.T field and then stabbing its core. Assholes." She told him with a cute frown as she thought back to those times and how stupid she was to believe it would be so easy.

Shinji nodded to himself having quickly found his answer. He could agree with Asuka, too much time was spent in test and experiments and not enough in training to fight the Angels. HE began to feel very angered now that he fought back to it. NERV had been very lacklustre in that regard, hell, he was surprised Misato had not encouraged anything. It was as if NERV thought that once you entered Eva you became a killing machine. What garbage. He looked back to Asuka and slowly considered her and then looked at her rank insignia.

"Have you done it?" He viewed this as another opportunity to learn more about what Asuka had been doing these past few years and how she had progressed.

"Oh yeah, though, I had a full year of training and tests. It was very difficult and even more so when you had to train in strategy. The only pilot who ever had that was wonder girl." She said offhandedly.

Shinji chuckled and looked away with a smile.

Rei

He was not sure if he had ever loved her like he did Asuka...maybe he had but there was a defining difference that Shinji could not place. She was everything he wanted to be, she had it all but she did not know it and she wanted what he had but did not understand it. They both learned so much from each other. Perhaps it was their growth with one another that had generated such feelings, despite what she was, to Shinji, she was still Rei Ayanami.

"Thinking about her?" Asuka asked, bringing Shinji out of his reverie. He looked over at Asuka with a wince but was surprised not to see a mad or jealous expression covering her face. "Don't get the wrong idea, I never liked her and still don't. However, I do recognize her skills as a pilot, it's a shame she didn't have as much skill in being human." No spite, sarcasm or any other types of undertones were detected in her voice, just honesty.

Shinji still felt a stab at that either way and chose to enquire before jumping to conclusions. "What do you mean?"

Asuka just sighed. "I mean, baka" she began pointedly. " That despite her being a clone of an Angel , she was still human. She just sucked at being like one, anti-social. I guess she got better the more you two hung out but I could never accept how she never picked her own choice. It was only before she died that she managed to achieve it." Asuka stopped and looked back up to Evangelion in though. "...makes you wonder if she died in regret." A whimsical question.

Deciding to answer even if Asuka was not looking for one, Shinji leaned forward. "I'm not sure either, I think, maybe she did regret some things she did do and didn't do." He looked up to the Evangelion. "I always wondered if mother ever regretted being in Eva and not in her own body. I guess she was always protecting me. Everyone always used to say that I was the most important thing to her but still" He sighed and scratched his head in annoyance. "...I guess I just don't understand mothers."

Asuka frowned. "You shouldn't say that, Shinji." He looked back at her. "I think if anyone should understand a mother it should be her children. I guess it might kind of sound hypocritical of me to say it but maybe because I denied her, my mother, so much... that's the reason why I can say such. Never underestimate a power of a mother and the bonds she has with her children, with us" Were her words, her eyes looking off into the distance as if searching for something and all Shinji could do was smile at her.

Asuka looked over towards him and angled her head a little to the right at Shinji's smile. "What, baka?"

He chuckled. "You kind of sound like a mother yourself."Asuka blushed to the roots of her hair before punching Shinji lightly in the chin. "Ouch!" He cried in mock pain.

"You had it coming. How old do you think I am, I don't even want children." She stopped at Shinji's utterly shocked face.

_What...?_ Shinji thought, _no children, no way!_

"Really?" He asked as if she had sputtered words so foreign he was unsure if they were even possible to come from a humans mouth. "You seriously don't want kids?" She was surprised by how taken aback he was by it.

Asuka looked down with a blush as she placed her hand on her stomach and thought. "Well..."

"Shinji! Asuka!" They looked up to see Toji walking to them. "If you guys don't mind me breaking up your marriage issues, I got news, NERV is recalling us back, thank God." He said as he got closer, noticing their blush at being referred to their old alias as newly-weds.

"You're an idiot, Toji." Asuka sighed before getting off and dusting off her plug suit, ignoring Shinji as he fell into the routine of marvelling her figure. "Come on, Shinji, don't make me get you a collar." She huffed as she gave Toji a secretive wink. Toji smirked in acknowledgement, glad the two had sorted out there problems before he handed Asuka a diet pepsi and then Shinji a coke. She raised an eyebrow of disgust at Shinji who shot back a confused look. "I can't believe you drink that crap." Was her unimpressed reply as she popped the can and took a sip.

Shinji heaved and shook his head.

What was it with Pepsi and Coke?

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Shikari rode in the back seat of an open roof beater car in the middle of his convoy of refugees and outcasts. He had instantly called in the convoy instead of moving on foot as soon as the announcement of a huge going in China had reached him. The Convoy was composed of repaired abandoned vehicles with a range of, beater cars, sports cars, buses, converted trams, vans and trucks.

Shikari went into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a pure black cigarette and began to light it with a NERV lighter. He leaned forward as he placed the cigarette in his mouth and covered the flame coming from the light with his right, metallic arm. He took a quick drag as it was lit and leaned back as the air tousled his hair.

Shikari pressed a button on the side of his glasses and instantly data started to scroll along his glasses. He frowned as he read about the new Tacstra, designated as a Coil, and its surprising abilities. He had hoped that it would not be as powerful as the documents said it was but he had expected it nonetheless.

"Shikari!" His bodyguard in the front passenger seat called over the rushing wind. "Check point!" He called. Shikari let out a puff of smoke as he pulled back his hair and leaned forward as they slowly pulled up. The two security guards stepped out of their booth as they looked all the way down at the massive convoy of over 5 hundred vehicles coming down the soggy dirt road around the Kyushu border. They looked at one another and quickly approached Shikari's vehicle. "What's going on here, you got a permit to allow all these people out. You don't look like you have any." The guard said noting their shabby clothing and beat up vehicles.

Shikari leaned forward and handed the man some papers. The guard read the files and shook his head in wide eyed disbelief, the other guard, obviously the senior guard due to his balding white haired head, came over and took the papers and huffed.

"I'm sorry, but you can't expect me to believe these documents are real, I mean, hand signed by the U.N chairmen..." The guard began as Shikari reached into his pocket, pulled out a cellphone and hit speed dial.

"Hello, yes, the second time." A pause and the guards watched on in silent as the piling cars started honking there horns in protest. " I'm sorry chairmen but they will not believe me. Certainly." Shikari leaned forward offering the phone to the senior guardsmen. "Chairmen, Nero Raikov wishes to have a word with you." The guardsmen bit his lip and took the phone.

Shikari leaned back and took a drink from a flask resting beside him. Shikari quickly checked his watch and counted own the minutes the pre-recorded message took. He made a circling motion to the people behind him who relayed the orders to get ready to start moving. He hoped the tail would not be as bad as the last one, that had taken 8 hours.

"I understand, I'll be sure to enquire to the U.N offices about this, yes, yes, thank you. Sorry for the hassle I-" HE stopped and looked down at the phone noticing that the Chairmen had hung up. He handed Shikari the phone and instructed the younger guardsmen to raise the barrier. Shikari nodded to him as they drove on and through the checkpoint.

They had seven more hours before their flights arrived and fifty minutes to load his people onto the aircraft to the Oki islands where the new NERV military forces were gathering and being organised.

He threw away the phone for it to be crushed underneath the multiple vehicles following him. He could suspect Raikov to be very pissed when this was all over and done with.

If they made it.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Air craft transport fleet: En route to NERV HQ**

Twenty five VTOLE support aircraft, thirty five F-35 lightning II's and twenty F-22's escorted three Evangelion air carriers and two gradient air transport carriers. In one of these carriers sat, Shinji, Toji and Asuka who were currently pre-occupied with playing a game of poker.

Toji and Shinji had lost four rounds with Shinji owing Asuka over a few million and Toji owing Asuka slavery of himself to her for five minutes. They hadnt been playing for too long but long enough for the worst of the worst to happen.

They had left China over thirty minutes ago and boredom quickly taken hold. It had surprised Toji and Asuka when Shinji suggested a game of poker. Poker was one of the games the pair had thought would be out of Shinji's scope of interest. He was not exactly a royal flush at it but he was still good. Of course, Asuka was on another level from Toji and Shinji. She often made them bail to her bluffs when she had nothing and then underestimate her when she simply could not loose.

Shinji sat back on his stool and looked at his king, queen and ten of hearts and munched on his lip while trying to keep a placid face. He looked up at Toji who was leaned forward looking at both him and Asuka. Asuka had the oddest expression Shinji had ever seen on her. Her arms were folded with her three cards stacked in front of her. Her face was twisted with a hint of a smile and almost unfocused eyes that were looking everywhere and nowhere.

This expression was one she seemed to use when she was not too confident on her cards compared to their own. He, at least, knew it was not a guaranteed win.

"Screw it," Toji said, chuckling as he exposed his deck. "Fold," he finished, leaning back and showing one ace of spades, a ten of spades and a seven of hearts. Shinji frowned and looked down at his cards again and was almost knocked off his feet when Asuka went for a raise.

"Of what?" he asked.

Asuka threw Shinji a very evil grin before answering, "I have a date with Martin when we get back." Shinji frowned at that and a quick image appeared in his mind of decking Martin. He often wondered if girls knew just how powerful the use of another guy's name could be. Maybe that's why they put so many hints in their words instead of being outright. Shinji could only imagine the killings jealous men would perform for women who spoke to them like that. He wondered how Toji would handle it, he looked like the type to murder competition in cold blood for Hikari. "If you lose; instead of me going on the date with him, you will."

Shinji jumped out of his seat almost exposing his cards as he looked on in shock. "B-but I''m a guy, and he'll say no anyway!" Shinji began in protest. Shinji was not against homosexuals but he was absolutely against himself being homosexual.

"Meet it or fold, Ikari," she cut him off.

Shinji slumped into his seat and glanced at Toji who was happily watching the interaction and then winked at Shinji. Shinji looked confused at that before it turned into a grin. "All right, but if I win you have to come on a date with me," he said triumphantly and then quickly felt deflated when Asuka seemed less than impressed by the proposition.

"Is that all?" she asked mockingly. "If you call that raising the bar then it's no wonder you can't earn it back," she huffed.

Shinji frowned but smiled all the same at the invitation. He leaned forward and considered Asuka for a moment before nodding to himself. Asuka raised an immaculately perfect eyebrow at him in response to his evaluation. "And the date's at a beach, in the sexiest swimsuit we can find, going on my standards..." he paused satisfied with her peeved expression. "Meet it or fold, Soryu," he said, now smiling for all he was worth. Shinji would have made Misato proud at that moment.

"You son of a bitch," she whispered under her breath. "Fine, and you two have to hold hands too!" she returned before picking up her deck and looking at the cards.

Shinji glanced at Toji who gave him the thumbs up. They played and Asuka placed down what she had. Removing a few cards, she placed down her ace of hearts, jack of hearts and her queen of hearts.

Shinji burst into a fit of evil laughter. He leaned forward and removed the other cards apart from the ace and jack of hearts and placed down his remaining cards.

"Damn it!" Asuka roared in protest.

"You got owned, Asuka. Quite literally as well," Toji chuckled. "I'll be sure to tell the media what beach and how little you'll have on."

Asuka blushed and turned to Shinji. "If it's indecent..." she began.

"I don't show off my stuff," Shinji began, hands held up.

"Oh!" Asuka began sarcastically. "So I'm part of your little collection. I'm your little toy?"

Shinji bit his lip. "Sorry, you know what I mean," he offered apologetically.

"Yeah, yeah." She waved him off. "You just better make it fun for the both of us." She began to settle down. Shinji smiled at her and then dropped it as he began to plan out where, when, how.

"By the way..." Shinji began, drawing their attention. They looked up quizzically. "I'm not going to ask about that Horizon event stuff." Asuka and Toji tensed a little but held their tongues. "But what happened after I left? I mean, we've got time to talk about it and I really want to know," Shinji pleaded softly.

Toji and Asuka looked at one another. Neither were shocked by the request; they were just caught off guard by the suddenness. Toji inhaled deeply as he leaned back to think. Asuka spoke first.

"I guess, well..." she fumbled for a second. "As you know, after Third Impact the world began rebuilding. Of course this was an important stage in earth's recovery, with the threat of the angels gone the large sum of money that was spent on NERV and the Evangelion was delegated to world reformation. Though, a lot of war crimes had taken place including SEELE's and other's terrorist attacks."

Shinji nodded thinking back to the SEELE bastards.

"Unfortunately, the old men had planned well," Asuka continued grimly. "NERV was its scapegoat in every way. Though SEELE was found out. They were all still in the rebirth; the self created paradise. That meant they got away with it while everyone suffered. Naturally, the world turned on those directly working for SEELE."

"NERV," Toji added.

"Yeah." Asuka paused as she thought back, her expression lost and deep. "The only people in NERV who had intimate knowledge of SEELE, or even about the Human Instrumentality project, were either dead or in the Instrumentality. As such, the world officials were left with people who only knew so much. Even then there was so much cloak and daggers going on that no one truly knew if what they were saying was indeed the truth. The U.N. became irritated by the lack of progress and began a large scale investigation on all NERV staff, family and friends."

"It was horrible, you couldn't call your own family without hearing the sound off a third contact during your calls. All E-mails were read before they were sent, letters and packages apprehended and then given back to you in a sorry state. We had a bank account that only let us spend a limited amount of money each day which was catalogued. Shit, Shinji, they came in our rooms every day and checked the food we had brought, poking needles and sensors in it, checking our clothes and even our most private objects. Who knew where those sensors and needles had been before," Toji filled in.

"It was kind of a blessing and a curse that they kept us confined and out of public eye. We were a mess after the betrayal of SEELE and the blame being put on us. It made us stronger. You see, every single NERV employee was placed into this huge building with a room that had a mediocre bed, sink, toilet and a timed shower of operation of one minute. We had no real comfort apart from each other. Me, Misato, Kensuke and Toji began to unite everyone until we came upon a common goal of making an organisation that would help the world like we should have done, then we discovered-"

"The H.I.C..." Shinji whispered

The room fell silent for a moment before Asuka slowly nodded and went on.

"You see, NERV staff are the best of the best and we were forming connections and privileges long before they released the investigation. We were pulling together the other NERV branches across the world and creating quite the entity. We did what we intended to do by using NERV's limited money and resources and began helping the planet. We helped organise relief efforts, opening camps and medical facilities for those in need. Donated to charity and began research into medical advances which stopped the Venus plague cold. By the time the investigation was over NERV was already becoming renown and a few months after the investigation, NERV asked for a seat in the world superpowers, essentially equal to the U.N."

"Hehe..." Toji chuckled. "Misato was like a Goddess when she was leading us, she was the highest ranked as the major and we all universally promoted her to commander as soon as she raised the idea. You should have seen it, there was like one hundred of us in a room with a lot of monitors with commanders of NERV branches around the world agreeing to her appointment. Shit, Germany were ready to kill anybody who didn't say yes."

Asuka smiled genuinely and Shinji smiled back.

"Anyway," Asuka coughed. "We didn't win the first campaign because we were still in need of more support, so we started getting involved in more morale based actions. Such as entertainment, funding events and getting popular with the world wide media and and the internet. I'm sure you've heard; I've done a few things myself to increase NERV's influence that has helped a lot."

"She was even going to sign up to be a pornstar!" Toji said loudly, turning Shinji's face red as images started to flash in his brain.

"Toji, how in the hell is being a model a pornstar?" Asuka asked, disgusted.

"Because it's like weed. You start off on weed and then you do cocaine. Modellings the same, first modelling, then nude modelling and then porn movies. Trust me!" he explained, believing fully his own words.

"That's not really true in both cases. And besides, they wouldn't let me be a model," Asuka answered dismissively.

Shinji's draw dropped as he stood to look her up and down. "No way, look at you, you're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. You're so curvaceous and-"

"Yeah, the thing about being a model is to show off the clothes and not exactly your figure. So my body is indeed sexually appealing but in modelling, really only the face is needed. It's not like models don't have defining attributes. It's just mine were too defining. For instance, they had a problem with my breasts and surprisingly, my ass," she said as she glanced behind her.

"Well," Toji began, placing his hand underneath his chin in thought. "Hikari did say you had a bigger ass then her," he said as if an expert on the matter.

"Shut-the-hell-up, Toji! First off, you don't even know what you're talking about. Second, you sound weird trying to sound mature. Stick to your innuendo, your unrefined speech and staring off into space!" she replied.

"Excuse me!" He sounded very offended. "But in case you hadn't noticed, I'm very light on my sexual innuendo, if not completely direct!"

"How can your breasts and your bottom be too large?" Shinji asked, looking her over.

Asuka blushed, picked up the deck of cards and threw them at him. "You never change, Shinji. You're such a pervert!" She picked up more cards and started hurling more at him while he ducked and covered himself from her assault. "Baka, baka, baka, baka!"

"I'm not being a pervert; it's a very adult and mature question! Seriously, I'm really shocked!" he cried as he winced in preparation for the next barrage. It did not come. He looked up between his arms to find her huffing at him as she crossed her legs and folded her arms in front of her dress. A very defensive position.

"It's hard to explain about the curves, at least to you guys. Just think of it like... say you wanted to have a gamer pose with a trophy he won or something, right?" They nodded. "Then imagine you pick up the magazine to find the gamer is very muscular, has defining eyebrows and dark beautiful hair, a butch chin and a smile that seems confident." She looked at both of them. "What would you think?"

"That's not a gamer," they both said together.

"Exactly. That's the best example I could give you. As for breasts, well, common knowledge is, at least to you guys, big breasts attract greater attention. As a model; your job is to simply make the clothes you are wearing look nice, not make all the guys just stare at your chest and not the entirety of your clothes. As a woman, not as much a big deal. "

A pause. "So what ranking are you?" Shinji asked

"I'm not telling you. All you need to know is that I'm athletic enough in my entire body to handle it and that it won't effect my movement or skills as a pilot. That's what's important. Plus Toji, do you think Hikari would be happy if she knew we were speaking so intimately?" Toji was about to say something. "Have you ever seen Hikari, or any woman, jealous?" she asked him as if he was the stupidest man to walk the earth. "As for your questions Shinji..."

Shinji straightened at that. "Yes?"

"You'll have to find out. Like I said before; you've got to work for it. Martin is way in the lead, don't be fooled just because I'm talking to you all nice and proper." She frowned as Toji burst out laughing. "Shut up, Toji!"

"So, uh, getting back to what happened while I was gone..." Shinji said. Firing Asuka up always went disastrously... for Shinji.

"Right," Asuka agreed, tapping her lip in thought before resuming the previous topic. "Okay. So we ran for the campaign a second time and won and instantly became independent from everyone else. Essentially we are a stronger super power than the U.N. We've got nothing against the U.N. but we knew that the H.I.C were swarming over them, it was very hard to make sure our channels and new recruit staff stayed clean of them." Asuka then smiled and placed her hands on her hips, looking proud. "I wasn't sure if I would ever be needed for Eva. I was upset but in the same breath I had developed a bond with NERV and her staff during the investigation. My loyalty sky-rocketed and everyone else was doing something so I decided to set my sights high. Or course becoming a Commander wasn't something I necessarily wanted." She stopped at Shinji's quizzical look.

"Oh!" he said, surprised she had caught it. "Well, I always thought if anyone was going to aim for that then it would be you," he offered and she smiled, nodding her head at him. _Was that a thank you?_

"Well, practically speaking, I didn't have the training nor the huge amount of experience for it. I don't mind admitting it; I'm a bit of a hot head, a bit sardonic and a lot bitch." Toji and Shinji chuckled in agreement at that. "But they're who I am. I can't change that and I really don't want to either. Not too mention, sitting behind a desk all the time? No thank you, plus I needed a position that would allow me to command and pilot Eva if the need arise." Asuka spoke in a way that felt very genuine. Shinji was mesmerised by something other than her physical beauty for a change.

During their short time together during the Angel Wars, Shinji had only seen so much of Asuka. He had come to know an abusive, inconsiderate, stuck up girl. However, the more time they spent with one another the closer they became with one another, even going so far as kissing. Shinji still could not quite remember what he had gleaned from their shared emotion in Instrumentality. Most people agreed that Instrumentality was like a blur. However, a shared feeling of increased intimacy with loved ones was a common after-effect amongst Instrumentality survivors. And Shinji was no exception.

Shinji would never condone Instrumentality but he could understand why SEELE had done it. At least for the pilots it had helped them in some way. Shinji had gained access to the minds of others, but his memories of that experience were fuzzy like a fading dream or listening to a conversation through a closed door. It was like the pilots had obtained a key to a door with no keyhole. Shinji sometimes felt he was still searching for the keyhole past all Asuka's barriers, seeking access to the person inside.

Shinji had briefly seen the keyhole just now while Asuka was speaking about herself. He looked up and noticed Asuka staring into his eyes, neither welcoming nor forbidding. Shinji, however, still had his own barriers to contend with. "Umm, you said before about training, right?" he asked, again changing the subject.

Asuka seemed to be dissatisfied with Shinji's words, nevertheless, she answered him instantly, "The training will be for you, Toji and Loroko." Toji looked at her curiously at those words. "Don't take offence Toji, but you couldn't handle the Coil. NERV was excellent, but I'm not going to make the same mistake twice," she said vehemently, determination in her voice.

"What kind of training?" Toji asked.

"Weapons training, hand to hand combat training, tactics training and strategic training. Those are the four you'll be learning. A little from me, but I'll arrange classes. You'll need to know them in terms of how to react in certain situations, figuring out an enemy's plan and they may even come in handy outside of Eva," Asuka offered. Shinji frowned but nodded knowing that it could indeed be true.

"Shinji, go ask them how long until we get home," Toji told him. Shinji nodded and went to the intercom as Toji and Asuka started picking up the cards.

Shinji pressed the intercom. "Hey, this is Shinji Ikari here. I was wondering how long it would be until we got back?"

There was a fumble on the other line and an embarrassed voice called back. "Sorry sir, I was actually meant to update you an hour ago," she apologised. "Anyway, we'll be back in two more hours. Sorry!"

Shinji chuckled. "No, don't worry about it. The rides been smooth. We've almost fallen asleep because of it." There was a giggle on the other line. "If you're this good of a pilot I'll have to ask you to take me to Rio Grande Do Sul for a vacation," he laughed.

"Excuse me, sir?" The pilot sounded shocked, almost offended at his words. "That's not very funny, sir."

Shinji frowned in confusion. "I'm sorry, it's just Rio Grande Do Sul was my home and I really just meant it as a compliment more than being serious," he said trying to mend the damage done.

There was a pause.

"Sir, you do know Rio Grande Do sul was bombed off the map, right?"

Shinji's heart stopped.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Misato sat in her office drinking her fourth mug of cold coffee. She was looking over the report of the growing numbers reaching the Oki islands. She had sent Kurokari to organise the army and get them fitted into their facilities and also to get the families situated in the complexes.

Apparently they were having a problem with a few sectors as their power grids were being deactivated, a malfunction that was in need of some serious fixing.

She looked up as someone entered her room unannounced and smiled as Ritsuko walked in rubbing the back of her neck, papers in her hand. "You seen this report about the power outage, I think you're slacking again. And slacking means coffee cuts," Misato said jokingly as Ritsuko took a seat in front of her and leaned back with a sigh. "How're you keeping?"

"I need a long break, I've never had to do so much work before." Ritsuko massaged her neck before glancing over her glasses at Misato. "Yeah, I need a huge increase in staff, I'm thinking over two hundred or so." She almost pleaded as she leaned forward with mock puppy dog eyes.

Misato laughed before looking into her cabinet and pulling out a few files. "It's not hard to get really good scientist in, it's making sure they're clean. It gets harder and harder as time goes by. It was only last month that I was worried about a security breach," she replied.

Her clock chimed and she smiled as she pulled out a can of beer. She popped the can and chugged it down. Ritsuko leaned forward, placed her elbows down on the desk and placed her head in her hands. She looked her friend over. "You never change, Misato."

Misato looked over the rim of her can. "And you need to," she replied as she put down her can. "It's been so long since rebirth, I mean, you really need to get a man." At this Ritsuko leaned back and exhaled heavily. "Oh, come one, you know you just need to get past the bastard. You need a man who can support you," she continued.

"Yeah, well, my standards rose after that guy," she said, rubbing her eyes. Misato offered Ritsuko the rest of her cold coffee and Ritsuko ignored it. She took the can from Misato and drank some down.

"You go girl," she giggled as Ritsuko slammed down the can and seemed to glow for a moment. "Have you at least seen any prospective candidates?" she asked.

"There was this one guy working in Section B as chief professor, he's about 39, quite young for a professor," she looked at Misato with a mischievous grin. "He's quite the hunk, and his beard is so..." her grin disappeared. "There's this bitch after him though. I'm telling you Misato; I've never hated someone so much before in my life. She just..." Ritsuko growled as she looked off into the distance with a poisonous glare.

"Whoa, Ritsu-chan. What's her name?" Misato asked with great interest. Very few people made Ritsuko take interest in them.

"Shinya Yung. I hate her. With her little fake smile, obviously fake tits and a brain made of air," Ritsuko fumed. "The only thing she's got going for her is that she's a real good surgeon, or so they say." Ritsuko paused before glancing at Misato. "If an acci-"

"Ritsu-chan, you know you can't do that any more." Misato shook her head. "Besides, just beat her at her own game, if you are better than her, then this guy should see it, right?" she offered an alternative to outright killing the woman.

Just then the door to the commander's office slid open with a hiss and Jack hobbled in. Ritsuko and Misato held their tongues as he came in unassisted by any form of support. Jack had a tendency to forget his injuries with a mantra of: 'the more I ignore it, the better it feels' or so he said.

Ritsuko chuckled as he awkwardly grabbed a seat and sat down in it then used its wheels to manoeuvre closer to them. His chair knocked into the desk and he very nearly sprawled the upper half of his body across the surface. "Ristuko, you've got to talk to your staff," he said. Ritsuko raised an amused eyebrow at that and glanced and Misato who mimicked her expression.

"And why is that, Oh Mighty Immortal One?"

Jack moved his head slowly to look at her as if invisible hands were holding his head in place. "Do you know how much they wanted to bandage me up?" he asked as if this was the first time this had ever happened to him. "I would have been in there for another month if they had their own way." He moaned and Misato giggled while Ritsuko just rolled her eyes.

"By all rights, you should." Jack just grumbled at that. "Besides, at least you managed to evacuate everyone, and I doubt you would have come here without any clues as to who or why a bomb was planted," Ritsuko added matter of factly before leaning across Misato's desk and pressing a button to order some hot coffee.

Jack sat up with a heave, lightly patting his ribs as he did so, followed by a light cough. "Ahem!" He tried clearing his throat of its soreness. "We didn't get much of a chance to investigate considering most of the evidence was destroyed in the explosion." Misato frowned but nodded for him to continue. "My men searched the remains and located the set up of the main bomb. It was a standard set up for a C4 linked up to the gas tanks for the kitchen and boiler." Jack pulled out a small slim plate with the label 'briefing card' on one side. He placed the card on the interactive desk surface and instantly symbols and pictures blossomed from it across the display screen. A schematic of the President's offices appeared with most of it being highlighted red and only a little of it appearing blue.

Jack pointed to the building and dragged it 'up' so that the basement level could be seen. The basement was assorted with a series of pumps and pipes. A small window displayed the internal room temperature. "Now the C4 charges." Jack tapped a folder called 'C4 emplacements' and dragged it into the basement. A quick flash and the room was overlaid with crudely placed C4 charges. "As you can see, the C4 charges were placed horribly and according from forensics only a few people actually went down there. Going on this alone and the fact a pro would make sure that he would make time to arrange the charges..."

"It would have to be one of the staff working there who could only disappear for a certain amount of time," Misato inserted which Ritsuko and Jack agreed to.

"Only three people had a key; Hiro Sakurai, Sasagawa Mirai and Renji Fujikawa. Renji was attending a funeral directly related to the bombing in Yokohama. Hiro Sakurai was actually in the building at the time and was one of the five to actually be there when the bomb went off. The force of the blast killed him and the family identified him instantly. Sasgawa is nowhere to be found but we have some leads to suggest he's planning to leave Japan for Australia," Jack finished his report as he closed the briefing and pocketed the silver card.

"That's some more good news. The deployment and organization of our forces in the Oki Islands is going very well. We have a full theatre getting settled in as well as stores of weaponry and supplies to last over 35 years of continuous fighting. Though to be honest, I hope this doesn't last over a year so we can give the supplies to countries that really need them," she said the last part quietly.

Jack leaned over and placed a hand over hers. She looked up and blushed at Jack as his eyes flashed at her.

Ritsuko frowned at Misato. "Don't even think about it. Knowing you, you'll kill him before he gets up." Jack broke out into hysterics while Misato blushed to the roots of her hair. She stuck her tongue out at Ritsuko who just laughed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Fuck me, that's been a major screw up."

"Tell me about it. We can't just cut off Sasagawa; he's one of us. What do we do? His entire family could be in trouble!"

"Calm down. We have plans just in case something like this should occur. Get Linti, and tell him I want that green horned son of a bitch's family covered."

"No offence, but Linti's an asshole and he thinks he's king of the hill."

"Cocky or not, he is an effective and powerful ally. At least, for the sake of Sasagawa and his family, our personal feelings must not get in the way."

"Tch. What's that Shikari up to. He's moving a lot of people."

"Yes, it has caught my eye and I fear he may know a lot more than a simple homeless leader should. I've posted a few men to keep an eye on him; he could be ruinous to our plans."

"Speaking of which, how has the exploration been going?"

"Badly, sonar's gone dark."

"But the book said we still had a little while before they went dormant."

"I had thought so too and it may be true. However, I have been looking into it lately and I think they are just moving out of our range... it is a delicate operation."

Silence.

"I have a very interesting question."

"Go on"

"How did they retrieve Evangelion 01?"

A pause.

"We have no idea, no clue what so ever."

"Investigations?"

"Well, we've started but there just isn't a way known to man to get something from that far away back to earth in a matter of months. I mean, it was practically on the outskirts of the solar system."

"Well, has anyone thought of checking to see-"

"Times up, let's move before we are discovered. Meet at the next location in three days. I'll make an attempt to put more effort into keeping up with 'them.' Dismissed."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Midori Yamaguchi had been working in the NERV medical wing for almost three years after impact. She had just been a serving lady; fetching cups of coffee here, feeding patients there, and somehow she had become a receptionist. A normal receptionist's income earned an almost decent living allowance. But a NERV receptionist... well, one might laugh disbelievingly at the figures gracing those pay checks.

Of course, the living expenses in Tokyo-3 alone would pretty much balance it out but her bonuses made the work load worth it. Most receptionist jobs are fairly quick and quiet. Once you factored in the workings of NERV you quickly come to realise that 'quiet' and 'NERV' were conflicting terms. The number of dead, dyeing or frozen bodies that were wheeled into NERV at a daily basis was almost comical. Worried families, friends, spouses... it was quite hard to keep up at first but she had grown used to such a packed line up.

For this reason, when a stressed and frightened Shinji burst into the medical ward with the other two pilots behind him, she quickly pulled up a list of patients related to Shinji and his friends. Shinji turned his wide eyes towards her and almost lunged at the desk. The biggest of his friends almost ran into him and the beautiful red head was giving Shinji serious consideration. As Shinji approached the desk Midori understood his state more. His eyes were slightly red and wet from some shed tears, probably in thought of the worst. He was slightly biting his lip and his hand was clenching and relaxing in a repeated fashion.

Midori put on her best smile and gestured to her right towards the left wing facing Shinji. "They're both in room one hundred and twenty one. That is, Maria Costello and Axel Rodriguez," she confirmed. She watched as Shinji's legs almost gave out beneath him and with an almost relived smile he thanked her. "They're doing quite well, Rodriquez may take a little longer but the girl should be out in a week." Her reassuring smile almost faltered then. "Unfortunately the boy that was recovered from the incident is under heavy sedation from the multiple operations he had. Please check back in later or call the E-desk to have updates transferred to your PDA." She offered kindly to which Shinji acknowledged as he headed down the wing. Toji and Asuka gave their own thanks to which she dismissed with a wave of her hand, helping people was her job and one she took a lot of pride in.

Asuka turned to follow Shinji, eyes watching his back as he half ran towards Room 121. She had never seen Shinji like this, sure in the past he had been upset or whined a lot about how unfair something was. This was different, this was about his friends, the family he had made in Brazil not the strangers or comrades of NERV the adults who only had time for him when he piloted Eva. It was like seeing a completely different person and something about it scared her, but what? She felt like something had been taken from her. Was it the experience of having him worry for her? Granted, until recently she had never considered how far Shinji had gone out for her, how much he gave to be with her, to save her, the torment to be just near her. She bit her lip at the thoughts swirling through her head. Was she jealous? It was awful, disgusting and selfish, something old Asuka would be above to acknowledge. Old Asuka was not in control any more; Asuka had changed for the better and she damn well had fought and lost an immeasurable amount for it. She lightly shook her head and began to banish those thoughts, she had to keep her discipline, her control. She had Shinji did not deserve to be jealous of one another, they had given up those chances to experience one another on an unspoken mutual basis. Asuka reasoned that Shinji had a right to love these people more, hell, how long had she lived with Shinji during the Angel Wars? A few months? Almost a year? Compared to the five long years Shinji had spent in Brazil, Asuka should have felt happy he even remembered her.

She almost punched herself at her own stubbornness. She wanted to be appreaciative towards Shinji and show she wanted him back like no other.

Yet...

Shinji turned left to face a door with the numbers 121 engraved in gold on the cold metallic door. Asuka and Toji watched as Shinji just stared at the hard surface, his face void for a moment before he bit his inner lip and pressed the open operation beside the door. The door hissed open and Shinji was buffeted by what he saw. Maria was looking up at him with one wide, vibrant eye. She had a blue eye patch over her left eye with a scar running through it and Shinji knew there was no eye in than socket. Further scanning showed many areas on her head that had scars criss-crossing her now bald scalp. Part of her forehead was a dark reddish colour, a sign of new skin recovering over a horrible burn mark that would scar her for life. Bandages could be seen all over her neck with a long wound stitched up going from under the gown and up to her chin.

Asuka brought a shocked hand to cover her mouth as she tried to hold in her outcry, some maternal instinct was twinging in her head to hold out her arms to comfort the child. "Oh my..." Toji whispered beside her in horror. Asuka glanced to Shinji to find him staring at Maria, mouth trembling as he gaped, struggling for words. He blinked at her smiling face, she looked.... ruined, yet the smile on her face said she could not be more happier with her guardian angel now here. Shinji sunk to his knees as she ran towards him and into his arms with a happy cry. Shinji held her with the thought of never letting go as he tightened his hold over her while being sure not to hurt her.

Shinji let a choked sob before clamming it shut, making sure not to harm her joy. For all he knew, that was all she had left. He whispered words into her ear as she buried her head in his shoulder, she spoke of what she did when he had left for Tokyo. The fights she had with Hailum, how her mother had planned on sending him, his tools in pottery and a few little gifts they all had made. Then she spoke of something darker, describing the men in black and masked faces. How they had been swift in their attack, bullets of white hot steel and lead ripping into families. The eradication of the ill and injured, the stabbing and gouging of men. The beating they gave her father while two men were doing something with her mother than she was too naïve to understand.

Shinji's body felt like it was shattering with every word, the feeling was otherworldly. What had they done to deserve this? Who had done this? Where were the authorities while this was happening? Why had they let Joshua almost beaten to death, Hailum now critically injured, Roger gone and Alicia...

Asuka was leaning back against the wall as she watched the girl in silent horror. She had heard it all before, seen it too many times to count. As the world had come back together after rebirth, order was lacking, chaos was abounds and lives were being taken in the cruellest fashion by scarred and detestable people. Being part of relief efforts meant she had been in the thick of it; the conditions, the bodies, the shoot outs, the torture, prostitution, theft, racism, rape. It was humanity at its worst. However, hearing it from a child was something she had never experienced before. She had never paid young survivors much mind before. They were either in good health or dead.

She glanced at Toji who was also leaning back and looking up at the ceiling in an almost passive, drugged-like state. Perhaps it was his way of dealing with it and she could not fault him for it. It was truly horrendous thing to hear and she quickly swore that these bastards would pay. She glanced at Shinji who had pushed Maria gently away so he could colapse onto his rear. He coughed a bit and just stared at the ground for a long time as Maria watched with a dark, almost cold gaze. Asuka recognised the look all too well. It was the look of a survivor, the look of someone who had shed all the tears they ever would. She knew it because she had that same exact look only a few years ago.

"Shinji?" Maria called out worriedly starting to show signs of fear at his prolonged silence. Shinji shook his head in response before placing his head in his hands. His shoulders trembled irregularly, the signs of a man who was doing his best to hold it all in. Maria tried to embrace him but he pushed her back with a coughed cry. His lip trembling to the point his teeth were visible. His eyes were covered by his hand but his forehead was scrunched up in tense concentration. His will to not cry was failing; he looked like he was trying to contain and internalise a hurricane. Shinji leaned forward as if to compress himself, he gasped and inhaled deeply a few times as he had cut off his air supply. Maria tried again to approach him with tears in her eyes and again he just pushed her back.

Asuka had just about a little handle on the situation. She had seen victims of the cruelties of men and life, the depth of corruption and heartache. Maria was a stranger to her and she had no idea who the other people she had listed off were. This was probably an area outside her power, and she knew getting involved in other people's business was not advisable. She had been through the Horizon event and survived. She had fought Angels and was even mentally violated by one. Her life had been ripped apart slowly with a mechanical accuracy that she had suffered for many minutes before her death at the hands of UM Evangelion. She was Asuka Langley Soryu, pilot of Evangelion unit 02 and one of the highest ranked officers of NERV. She was hardcore, an elite among elite, able to take on anything.

.... And yet, tears streamed down her face which no force could stop. She watched Maria struggle, unsure of herself. Asuka felt her own subdued caring nature, undeveloped maternal feelings, and love for her best friend welling up inside her before her emotional stability forced it back down. She grabbed at Shinji and held out a hand for Maria. Shinji made some real effort to push Asuka away. Maria hesitated looking at the stranger's hand. She suddenly took off towards it with her small legs and allowed Asuka to pull them all into a big hug. Shinji was silent for a moment, soundless before his arm wrapped around Asuka and Maria in a tight embrace.

Shinji still held the hurricane at bay while Toji looked on with a slight smile. For a long time it stayed like that and Asuka soon came to realise what Shinji needed. She let go of Shinji and grabbed his wobbling chin as tears streamed down his face. Shinji almost resisted as a vision of white snakes surrounding Asuka's form for the briefest of moments invaded his mind's eye before...

...She kissed him, lightly. There was no exchange of tongues, but there was a passing of strength. He looked at her, not as a love interest, a captain, an Evangelion pilot, nor even as a woman... but as his best friend. Shinji gave her a weak smile before placing a kiss on Maria's scarred forehead. He stood then and left smiling, demonstrating how completely composed he was. Asuka watched him go as she tightened her hold on Maria. The girl collapsed into her arms in sobs as Asuka lifted her up into her arms, went over to the bed and sat down. She stroked Maria's head as the little girl wrapped her arms around Asuka and buried her head into Asuka's chest.

Toji waved at Asuka and left. She nodded her acknowledgement. She placed her head over Maria's as she rocked her, humming softly as she thought about her own mother and what little she remembered of being comforted when she had been upset.

She never liked the thought of having children but she could reconcile this. It was her duty. In some way it was her duty.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Author's notes:

Holy shit it's been awhile. I don't have many excuses for the delay, one was personal to my beta so she was held up a bit. I could have released it earlier but I love her work and respect her greatly. She's like this person who helps you with a paper due in and gives you her notes to look at even though it's the fourth time that month you've begged her for the notes.

Second reason was I went to japan...for 2 weeks...and saw rebuild 2.0. Now I'm not gonna go into detail about it but I was a bit annoyed about Asuka, she did better fan service than the show but I felt the new girl was stealing Asuka's thunder...FUCK NO!

So it kind of stunted me due to the whole movie and how it slightly changed my view on Eva. Thankfully I'm still sticking to post EoE, I might incorporate some new things from the rebuild series, like weaponry and Armour and the like but probably not the changed personalities or new characters.

(Stares at clock that reads 02:53AM before looking back at reviews.)

Ok

**Reozul:** Sorry man, you'll have to forgive me, at first I thought you were taking a stab at me. I'm not one to read reviews from last chapter before I finish the next, I always get tempted to change my story to appease the reviewers and that messes the structure up bad. Anyway, re-read it and...I see what your saying.

As an author you slowly begin to realize that when you make a character say something you make your readers take it as fact. I think this chapter helps display a few things, the one you pointed out was the injustice happened upon Shinji.

I had to really consider what you meant by Asuka's break down being not justified and I came up with two that I'll answer.

Meaning # 1: Asuka had no right to breakdown on Shinji.

She didn't have a right, but emotions can just take control. I think when you have bad experiences you do everything to make sure it never happens again, to you or anyone else. Asuka had very similar experience to the events in China at the Horizon Event and as Shinji stated, she was projecting those feelings onto him after surpressing them for so long.

Meaning # 2: Asuka's breakdown was random/ there really was not enough for Asuka to be worked over.

It's really hard to write the effects and affects war has on a person. Not the writing itself, but the feelings and weight you want to associate with it. Personally, I think a flaw of mine was not focusing enough on the people who were in the middle of it. And let's face it, no matter how heavy the news brings in on tv, a death toll has just become another statistic and the same can be said for a reader. The shear number of lost lives is unbelievable but were so used to hearing about it that has little to no weight at all.

Hope that's cleared.

Next, yeah, I'll be up front, they're guilt tripping him. They kind of know they're doing it but they just don't know him well enough to deal with him any other way. It's understandable why but it doesn't make it right.

I kind of don't get your last paragraph so be sure to review or pm me about but here's the answer I came up with. Asuka didn't include Shinji in her plans, it was kind of like... Imagine...a driving lesson. You go on a driving lesson to learn how to drive, you are responsible for your action. However, the driving instructor is there to insure the safety of you and everyone around you while teaching you. So, subconsciously, you'll always be relying on that person to bail you out until you become confident.

In battle you don't get confident, at least not when you a commander. Asuka used to be over confident but she slowly changed and now knows better. In the previous example you could say Asuka is the learner and unit-01 and Shinji or the instructor. She's not meant to rely on him, and she recognizes that, but she still subconsciously does anyway.

I'm not gonna say all Asuka does in justifiable, she's flawed, there was a darker side she showed during her shouting spree at him and breakdown which is hinted at in Shinji's...dream?

Any more questions or thing you noticed then be sure to review or pm, it's good for reminding me of things and finding faults in my storytelling.

(Stretches)

**LT-NightWarp:**

Sorry this chapter took so much longer but at least it is actually a lot longer.

Really glad you like the battle breakdown, One of my readers said it was kind of confusing and I felt the viewers may want a better image of the Coil what it did and was meant to be capable of. As for the Asuka and Shinji Thing, hope this chapter helps and read my shout out to Reozul.

Hope this chapter quenches your thirst for the other characters. Last thing I want to do is confine my characters without letting you see there changes and how they've grown.

**Fraulein Kaname Langley**

Cool name and thanks hope you enjoy this one.

(Stares at deator's review, goes down stares and gets half finished bottle Jack)

**Daetor:**

Hey Daetor, I hope your patience held out for this long wait...damn.

Glad you liked it. I don't believe Shinji should be forgiven for going along knowing he would useless unless he piloted Eva. It's not his inaction that I decided was the baddy, it was the fact that he never treated it as he should have While Asuka and Toji knew exactly what they were getting into. It was childish, I think Asuka was harsh on him but I believe her punishment was just and necessary for Shinji to realize just what and who was at stake in wars.

This chapter kind of shows you just how difficult it would be to make a coil based off a soldier's soul.

For me, Shinji did not really fight when Eva went berserk. It seems to be the rage with mecha anime and the mecha has a life of its own. Eureka Seven was the same, many times you did not know if Renton was driving or being driven. I think I made Shinji more badass with the fact that he was in control.

I really liked that coil A.T. filed Theory...hmm I wonder...

To be honest, I don't know anti matter could exist outside of an atom. Anti-matter is just a name for it. In EoE Asuka used them and the actual name for them translates closely to anti-matter spikes. That's why I called them that.

Nailed the Martin, Kensuke and Jack thing. You get a...can of Yebisu! And a picture of Asuka bending over in a venus swimsuit. (Thumbs up)

It's unpleasant and big, the plan almost hit's 's submission limit. I'm dreading it.

I can tell your insane, Daetor. Anyone who watched EoE and understood it is.

Chapter 15 is the last chapter for the book. Then break to edit this mess of a story up to standard and compose the ideas for the next book and off we go.

Thanks man.

End shout outs.

Next chapter will be out October 20th! This I promise and I can say with confidence!


	12. It hurts

**It Hurts!**

Shinji snapped awake at the sound of his alarm clock with a groan, his mind slowly leaving the fog of a dream. He reached out for the irritating bastard machinery and shut off the holographic wake up signal before rolling out of bed to sit on its edge for a second, a custom of his in the process of waking up his mind and body. He pinched his nose and looked at the clock which said 10 am, the alarm clock was set for 9 am so it must have been going off for at least an hour, the bottle of red wine and a stinging headache said why.

He stood up, slowly, while ignoring the pooling blood in his legs as he made his way to the bathroom in the nude, the heat of Rio Grande Do Sul made sleeping in clothes a sweat bath, a habit he carried over to Japan. He activated the shower and left it to heat up while he began his usual clean up routine. He looked up into the mirror to see the image of, what he would refer to as, shit.

His eyes were puffy and red from the hours of crying himself to sleep, his hair was a mess from the restless night full of nightmares and a swollen lip from where he had punished himself for his weakness.

He splashed water on his face, a cold slap on a the face, before getting a cloth and washing away the dirt from the previous night. The persistent drum of the shower sounded like a bass echo of a thousand drums thundering away inconsistently. Realising that washing his face would not be the key to a full wake up call, he turned the showers temperate to a chill, manning up his courage to step into it.

For the last two years Shinji had been a classic bed king. He slept naked, limbs hanging out of the quilt in odd positions and usually spread out in the weirdest, and sometimes unnatural, positions a human could achieve. His habits in the shower fell under a similar category. He was generally clumsy in the morning but the freezing cold shower was equal to a slap in the face with a wet fish, if the impact did not break your jaw then being awake would be an understatement. The shower spray hit his back and made him yelp and jump while knocking over the shower gels and shampoos.

Shinji instantly woke up and went to work cleaning his body spending about twenty minutes in the shower before stepping out to two fan heaters and a heated towel.

As he was drying off he started to consider his plans for today when a beep from the door alerted him to a person coming to see him. Shinji rolled out the crack in his neck before wrapping a towel around his waist opening the door to his room.

He stared wide eyed for a moment at the red head who was glancing over his body appreciatively. He was still getting used to Asuka being shorter than him and the kink in his neck was returning.

"Hey, Asuka," he acknowledged, noticing that his voice sounded really gravely today. "Uh...do you want to come in?" he asked, snapping her out of her fixation. She nodded her thanks and walked in as he moved out of the way before closing the door behind her. He looked at her and noticed she was wearing his favourite sun dress; the yellow one with the blue choker and that beautiful straw hat.

He noticed the cups of coffee in her hands and thanked her before returning to the bathroom with a set of clothes, he left the door slightly open so he could talk to her while he changed. "What's up, I didn't expect to see you here,"

Asuka took a seat at his desk and smoothed her hands over the surface as she looked around his room. "'Just wanted to talk about some stuff," was her only response as she turned on his computer.

Shinji entered the room again in a black shirt with faded red cuffs and collar, Khakis and black socks. He glanced at Asuka, slightly annoyed she was delving into his computer without permission but he was not in much of an argumentative mood. The whole thing with Maria, Axel and the others at Rio Grande Do Sul had shaken him. For three days he had visited the hospital and that was it; he just could not face NERV or the worries of the world. It was very hard for him to swallow down that, apart from Maria, Axel and Hailum, everyone was dead. Their faces were still fresh in his mind; their voices, laughs and smiles, anger, disappointment and friendship. It was like a black hole had opened up and swallowed them whole. All of his experiences, emotions and dreams with them were all gone.

Maria had gotten better and Ritsuko had said three weeks of care and she could be released while Hailum would be there for another two months. Hailum had been fighting for survival for the last two days in the hospital with multiple operations and a lot of drugs forced on on his body. Shinji could barely stand looking at him. He was like vegetable; the intensity of the drugs had relaxed his body so much that he could not move a single muscle. Motor controls were lax and he could not control his bodily functions. Shinji almost broke down when Hailum had cried when he soiled himself. It was extremely difficult.

"We're going to get them, Ikari."

Shinji looked up at that, having been in deep thought as soon as his mind had wandered. He turned to Asuka and noted the determined and fierce expression she had. Shinji knew that look more than anyone and understood what Asuka was saying, what she meant. From her face he could tell that she was going to use every resource, contact and military power to hunt these bastards down.

Shinji closed his eyes. The faces of all those that had died at Rio Grande Do Sul flashed through his mind. He had lost them, lost so much. Shinji could recognise the feelings of hate building inside of him; he wanted revenge, he wanted to hurt them just as much himself. He shook his head. He was above that; above an eye for an eye, above hurting those who also hurt others. No. Alicia, Roger and the rest would want these men brought to justice, to be known for their crimes and suffer the best punishment the authorities could devise. Enacting injustice in the name of justice was just not so.

Shinji took a deep breath and opened his eyes and nodded to Asuka with an equal expression determination. He then smiled at her which did a little more than take her aback. "Thank you, Asuka, I really needed to hear that," he said sincerely.

Asuka blushed and waved off his thanks. She looked from his left eye then all the way down to his knee then back up to the right eye. "Let's go out."

Shinji did a double take and took a step back. "Huh, wha…!?"

Asuka giggled girlishly before standing up to grab him by the hand. It was Shinji's turn to blush as he looked down at their joined hands. _Wait....is she asking me out on a date? Holy shit! Yes!_

"We were meant to have that date at the beach, but I think where we're going today is much better," she smiled up at him, reminding Shinji their height difference. There was something empowering about people looking up at you... he would have to watch that.

"Where are we going?" he asked, trying to restrain his wandering eyes. Being a guy was tough work; wandering eyes and sexual impulses were hard to suppress and the love of your life shows up in your bedroom wearing a mid-thigh-length yellow sun. _Toji was right, she is a tease..._

"You'll see. Come on! You only live once, right?" her words were suggestive but her actions were downright brutal as she opened the door, placed her foot on Shinji's behind—pausing to note its tightness—before kicking him out the door.

Kensuke rolled his neck around the bracer below his chin. He changed to fifth gear before deciding to rip the bracer off. He already knew Reiko, his wife, was going to tear him a new one.

Kensuke was a man who had changed for the better; for NERV, for his friends, for love, and slowly, for his unborn child.

Yet...

War was coming, and it was coming fast. The latest incidents with Brazil, the bombing of the Japanese government office and the rise in global conflicts was filling his stomach with dread. NERV's public relations were going haywire, the U.N was powerless without a face to blame, and some nations were looking at their enemies with an upped war budget. To say the world was going through a pretty shit phase would be an understatement.

Kensuke approached his house... his home, and quickly pulled out some tramadol. He downed two pills to quell the rising pain in his chest. He hoped that if he looked less damaged than he was then he would perhaps get off lightly. Reiko had been, and was, quite vocal about his work with NERV and sometimes violently so. It didn't help she was six months pregnant with his daughter. He was not home enough for her tastes and the pregnancy had reduced her to a very bored housewife. She hoped Kensuke could alleviate this problem. His absences had not been favourable to their marriage of late.

He pulled into his drive and turned the engine off, sitting in his car to collect his thoughts. Reiko did not know where he had been. Anything NERV-related would set her off about how most of his work was borderline inhumane and unethical. For that reason, he needed to protect her from the truth. If he ever wanted out of this he would have to keep many more secrets from her. Reiko, however, was far from ignorant, a quality that had been an extreme attraction for him... and a source of frightful insight into his occupation. To this day, it was a struggle trying to defend his work and an even bigger issue finding time to show how much he loved her.

He rubbed his arm for a moment before manning up and getting out of the car and walking into his house. He noted the smell of a cooking meal and wondered if someone had called in to tell Reiko that he was on his way.

Shrugging, he walked into the guest room to quickly check his appearance. No matter how he fixed himself he still looked like a guy out of his grave. A long cut slashing through his neck and up to his lip with stitches threading through and turning the skin a horrible red. The bruises on his temple and the band aid on his cheek made him look like a figure far from health.

Sighing, Kensuke left the room while going in the fridge and rummaging for his favourite can of coke. He walked into the living room and stopped dead. Looking at him was his wife, Reiko, her father, mother, three sisters and brother. At first Reiko looked surprised to see him but that soon turned into an expression of horror as she stared at her husband. "What-what have you done to yourself?" she asked. "What have they done to you?"

Kensuke applied a smile to his lips as his mind raced with excuses.

"Uh..." he glanced between shocked faces as he slowly raised his coke. "Anyone want a drink of coke?" The silence that greeted him was deafening. The father was far from impressed and the mother looked at Reiko questioningly. The sisters were the only ones who didn't seem fazed as they were sleeper cell agents for NERV; they were in the know after all.

"Uh..." the brother began, turning everyone's eyes on him. He blushed and glanced around nervously. "Do you have any Pepsi?"

Kensuke burst out laughing

"OOOOHHH!" Shinji screamed as the ride reached the peak before its fall, Asuka looking a little too enthusiastic about the inevitable drop.

"GO!" she shouted out before the roller-coaster slammed down the sharp descent.

"SHHHHIIIIIT!" Shinji cried like a man falling to his death while Asuka screamed in joy, arms above her head.

This was their ninth ride on a hardcore roller-coaster and Asuka had no plans of stopping. By all rights, Shinji should not have been surprised when she brought him here. What did he expect from the wild red head? A stroll on the beach, sightseeing, bird watching, fruit picking? Hell no!

Asuka was as wild as they came; she was like that little girl who was always quiet and respectable when necessary, but could turn viscous and gluttonous when a chocolate cake was presented to her. As soon as they had walked into the theme park it had been like someone had let Asuka off her hellish leash.

The only thing Shinji had going for him was his strong stomach which could handle the rides... or perhaps that was a curse considering he had no excuse to not go on them with her. The bumper cars were the worst, he had thought that would be easy, he had fallen for the stereotype of girls being too soft to handle the rough ride. Somehow, Asuka had made him feel the roles were reversed. She had loved it so much she paid for all the bumper cars and asked that Shinji's bumper be immobile so she could use the entire area as a run up just to ram him. The brutality of her enthusiasm as she rammed into him was downright wrong.

The fifteen minute ride of hell came to an abrupt end and Shinji practically fell out of the ride. His head spinning as Asuka landed neatly beside him. "What's next?" she asked looking around. Shinji groaned and fell down onto his back to allow his tortured mind to catch up.

"N-no more rides," he wheezed as his head moved back and forth to try and counteract the dizziness swimming through his skull. Asuka pouted and knelt beside his head, being careful to tuck in her dress behind her knees so as not to give the pervert a free view.

"You really can't handle the rides, can you?" He groaned in response at her with his eyes closed. He groaned louder when Asuka started poking him with a stick. She dropped the stick and stood up and looked off into the distance. She looked down at the wimp and gently kicked him in the shoulder. "Haunted mansion?"

Shinji nodded and slowly got up.

They slowly made their way to the haunted mansion with Shinji wavering from side to side. He had faced Angels, he could handle a little haunted mansion. He did wonder how Asuka would fare in the haunted mansion before mentally kicking himself; that kind of generalisation was just going to lead to a repeat of the bumper cars situation. They paid for the tickets and entered. The screams coming from inside made Shinji frown and Asuka smile. Shinji felt arms tangle with his and he looked down to his left as Asuka held onto him. She looked up at him with those beautiful blue eyes. He held her gaze to the point that he only realized he was leaning forward for a kiss when a ghost jumped out of nowhere and screamed, forcing his head back from Asuka's. _So close!_

He looked at the ghost with the thought of right-hooking it across the room. Asuka was giggling at him, Shinji ushered her along through the mansion, embarrassed.

To the creator's credit, the mansion was fairly scary but nothing the pair found more than heart pumping which was a lot more than they had expected. Their only qualm was that at one point a lizard man had jumped out of nowhere and screamed at them. The lizard was white with red lipstick. Shinji saw the instant likeness to the mass production Evangelion that had fought unit 02 just before third impact. Asuka had been frozen solid with a blank expression on her face. Shinji's protectiveness had flared up and drop-kicking the UM Eva look-alike was barely resistible.

Just as he was about to intercept the lizard, Asuka's arms tugged him. He had looked back to see her take a deep breath and smile at the creature before nodding to it and leading them along. She had been shaken, however, evidenced by her silence, her erratic eye movements and knuckle white grip on his arm.

Shinji felt it was time for a break.

They went to a café and sat down. Asuka got a hot chocolate with cream and Shinji ordered Chinese tea. "You okay?" he asked her. Asuka had been very quiet since they had left the haunted mansion and right now she sat with her arms crossed, looking away. Her posture was very defensive posture, she appeared detached.

She glanced at him and sighed. She unfolded her arms and scooted her chair forward. "Yeah, just didn't expect it, you know?"

Shinji nodded at that, it was completely understandable; no one could be completely fine meeting with a look-alike of a being who had near-killed them. "But you handled it so well, I was about to deck the guy-"

"And then you wouldn't have handled it at all if you did," she interrupted which caused Shinji to blush. Asuka's face softened. "Thank you, for being protective of me." Shinji smiled at her thanks. "Though, was that the first or second time?" she asked mischievously.

Shinji blinked in confusion at that. He glanced up as the waitress brought them their drinks and they thanked her. "What do you mean?"

Asuka leaned in, the smile still plastered on her face as her eyelids lowered slightly over her eyes. _Oh shit..._ He thought in slight panic. "Well, you were about to kiss me and that ghost interrupted," she explained to him, licking her lips.

_You bitch! You know what that does to me! Oh man..._

"Uh..." He sounded like such an idiot. "Well-" He stopped. He thought back to a book on dating he had once read called 'Women Come from Another Planet.' He tried to remember the section about lose-lose situations. _"When presented with a question with two answers but both possibly leading to upsetting the questioner, you should: A) Go for it, what do you have to lose? B) Ask a question back resulting in an 80% chance of changing the subject and C) refer to answer A."_

"I was annoyed that he..." he trailed off as Asuka's eyes widened, searching his. "That he interrupted our kiss." It was his turn to lick his lips at the thought. He glanced at her full, ruby red lips and quickly took a careful sip of his tea.

"Do you want to kiss me now?"

Shinji slowly looked up to her eyes, mouth ajar and lowered his cup. "F-for real?"

Asuka seemed to consider that for a moment, her eyes dropping to his lips. "Yeah," she whispered. "Yeah, yes..."

Shinji's mind jumped back to the book. _"If you are ever passed back the ball on a one to three base situation, best to play it as close to the chest as possible. She'll normally give it to you when she's unsure and it generally will not be a way to assess you. Only at third base are you allowed to play it away from the chest but not too quickly. You might get lucky and she might just have initial fears until the process has started. To increase your luck, do it in private or non populated areas. Unlike you, she will be very self conscious about being seen." _

Shinji almost asked her if she wanted to go outside when his brain snapped off a reminder. _"As a quick note, DON'T ask her to change location when in a one to three base situation. If you're already mobile then quickly lead her towards a secluded location."_

"Do you want to go somewhere private and do it?" Asuka asked now with a slight blush.

_"She offered; now it gets tricky. There's no lose-lose or win-win situation here, for the health of the relationship you should offer an alternative from the bases unless you KNOW, not think, not hope, KNOW she still wants to. If you are going to go through with it, be honest in your feelings, don't try to man up, if you're both nervous then at least you have a measure of comfort in knowing that neither of you can judge the other based on past experiences."_

"I'd like that..." Asuka smiled and blushed at the same time.

"But…" He bit his lip at Asuka's deflating expression. "I really like you, and I really enjoyed today and all the stuff we did. However, I think you're kind of vulnerable after the whole mansion thing and I know you want this, but I want you to want this because I made you feel really special." Asuka seemed interested now, not confused or disappointed. "I'm not good with this kind of situation, but I want you to feel like a queen when and if you do feel like kissing me again."

Asuka just stared at him for a while and then gave him weird smile. "I've never been rejected before, at least, not like that," she finally said.

"I-" He began in panic.

"No, no! I didn't mean that in a bad way, it's just different that's all," she tried, trying to fix Shinji's misunderstanding before he went into apology-mode. "I-I'm actually kind of honoured that you would want to do that for me, and that you thought that far ahead. It's quite endearing," she said, still blushing.

Shinji smiled at that, his ego recovering. Asuka leaned forward then and kissed his lips. Shinji was mentally blown off his feet.

He became enveloped in the light flicker of her lips on his; warm, soft, wet and slightly hesitant. He could have; yet, something told him not to open his mouth. Asuka had been one of his first kisses, at least the first he could remember. There was a history and familiarity the two shared as if their chemistry was natural. He enjoyed the kiss that lasted a few minutes before they separated. She blushed and giggled.

"What?" she asked at his blasted look. "You said I could kiss you when you made me feel like a queen," she said with a slightly raised pitch.

Shinji just stared at her like she was a Goddess come down from heaven. He shook his head in wonder and did not hold back from licking his lips and tasting traces of raspberry on them. She leaned forward and nudged him. "Stop it, if you keep that up and I'll be all over you!"

"Go Shin-man!" a voice exclaimed behind Shinji and he turned around to spot Toji and Hikari entering the café. "I knew you had it in you, so what was it like? Did she drink your blood? Did you feel her sucking out your soul?" he asked before exhaling sharply as Hikari elbowed him rather hard.

"Don't say things like that about Asuka! And what am I feeding you?" she hissed rubbing her sore arm. "Your stomach is like steel!" she growled at him. "Sorry we're late, Asuka. Toji had a basketball game to finish."

"So, Shin-man, ready to go to the F1 tonight?" Toji asked, waving two tickets. Shinji looked at Asuka confused. He'd never been told about this, let alone that Toji and Hikari were planning to meet them. Asuka just smiled at him and waved him off.

"Me and Hikari are going shopping, that's why I needed Toji to come and bring his four by four without the back seats. We're going to need the space," she answered.

"Don't scratch my car, I know you women drivers," Toji warned Asuka.

"Toji..." Hikari began shaking her head at him. "You've crashed five times. And four of those times you just drove off..." Shinji broke into a fits of hysterics at that, tears streaming down his face.

"Shut up, Shinji! Damn it, Hikari!" he groaned.

"You started it," she defended.

"But you stole my thunder... shit."

"Like you had any thunder to steal, Toji," Asuka added.

"Whatever. Let's go, Shinji. I want to go McDonalds before it starts."

"KFC's healthier and it does have the best chicken in the world," Shinji said after calming down. There were still a few chuckles in between his words.

"Point taken... Let's roll," he said hastening his words. After being showed up, his pride was slightly damaged from extricating himself from the hole he had dug for himself. The sexist jokes would have to be more resilient and elaborate in future.

****

The men left the girls to their own devices. For the most part shopping was uneventful for Asuka and Hikari. They had shopped so much that they were afraid they had been steadily catching up to the impossible; ahead of style. As such they found themselves stopping less and being more conservative in their buying; not too good when committed to a shopping spree.

"So how was it?" Hikari asked

Asuka had been staring at a silver necklace with a small emerald in the centre when Hikari called to her. "Hmm?"

"The date and the kiss, of course," she badgered. Asuka had actually been thinking about the date, and more importantly, the kiss ever since they had left to go shopping.

She placed her fingers on her lips and considered the question. "The date was really nice, I could tell he wasn't into the rides but he put up with it for me."

"That's what counts," Hikari added with a shake of her head. "Toji didn't really liked some of the things I liked, but, I don't know, when we went to the theatre he started to get into. He started commenting on the actors performance and the props. I really enjoyed it." There was a faraway look in her eyes as they approached a pub, The Ryuuma.

"Damn it, Hikari, you know good looking girls like us should never step into the predator's den unless there is more than three. There's just two of us!" Asuka started.

"Nuh-uh, I read guys don't like approaching pairs. They don't want to separate the two leaving the other behind and they don't really have the courage to ask both _and_ pay for their drinks," was Hikari's matter of fact response.

Asuka glanced at Hikari as if she had asked if lions were herbivores. "Since when?"

There was a pause before Hikari shrugged. "I want to be a tease and get free drinks, you happy now?" Hikari admitted.

Asuka mockingly gasped. "Hikari," she breathed. "Toying with a man's heart is just going to get them hurt... But I'm game. Lately I feel kind of washed out, you know?" Hikari nodded. "Not to mention my bank won't let me pull any more money out without calling for authorization. It's Easier to get someone to pay for us."

"Same. Shall we?" Hikari ushered Asuka towards the pub

The girls entered the pub and passed the bouncers who wished them a goodnight before stopping a sixteen year old with a fake I.D. They scanned the interior, noting the strong smell of alcohol and the sweet nauseating hint of bile. One man was sitting with a pint and a bottle whiskey, drinking his worries away. Two girls were boldly hammering down a bottle of Everlast. A roar in the back around a pool table signalled the end of a game, and a group of postgraduates were celebrating while taking turns at shots of tequila, the salt looking very suspect. The queue for the bar must have had half of the pub's patrons lined up for it.

Hikari tapped Asuka's shoulder and directed her towards a free table where they could sit. They sat down and rested, glancing around at all the people. "A lot of three to ones here today, well only two ones I can see." Asuka began, scanning the male occupants of the Ryuuma.

"Yeah, there's almost an equal amount of 'five and below' to 'five and above,'" Hikari frowned and shook her head. "I'm starting to sound like you," she moaned to herself.

"What's that? You're starting to sound perfect?" Asuka asked innocently.

Hikari groaned at that and decided to text Toji about being home late. "Any eye-contact yet?" she asked.

"Yeah, three ones and four fives. That one looks like he has a full wallet, but he's only getting VK."

"Maybe he's starting off light before hitting the heavier stuff?"

"That or he's the guy who's going to have to ride everyone and there cousin home," Asuka replied.

"So...how's it all going? It's coming closer to the date," Hikari asked quietly.

Asuka lightly rubbed her neck as a guy looked over to her, but her mind was elsewhere. "I'm okay. I'm always okay until the date of the Horizon event. I can hold it all in until that day, but this time… this time I think I'll bring Shinji instead of Martin," she replied.

Hikari watched her friend as she slightly batted her eyelids. "Playing a bit too thick, Asuka. Bring it down some," she advised, noting Asuka's slight stiffness.

Asuka looked away and then to Hikari, a slightly thoughtful expression on her face. "I'm going to bring him, for sure." She paused. "I really want to tell him what happened, but… No." She shook her head. "I _need _to tell him what happened, it's just going to be difficult."

Hikari looked worriedly at her friend and placed a hand over hers. "Asuka, don't push yourself. He doesn't have to know yet," she whispered softly.

Asuka shook her head at that. "He does Hikari. I did something terrible to him because of it. I never told him why, and if it's such a big scar on my psyche that everyone makes it out to be..." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "...Then he must know, more for my sake than his. Shinji. Shinji is one of the few people who can understand me, who I feel really connected to, like a lifeline." She blushed some then. "I really like him, when I go to bed all I can think about is his warmth, his smell, his voice and now..." She placed two fingers against her lips. "…his taste. He's all I can think about these days." She looked her friend dead in the eye and almost whimpered. "Hikari, when you're upset or low, do you ever crave Toji's chest? His warmth, his security?"

Hikari smiled, noticing the conditions of love that her friend could not see. "Of course, every time. I'd go crazy without him." Hikari glanced up to see a guy staring at her before looking down to Asuka. "Guys are useless most of the time, but the few things they are good for make them that much more worth it. Do you want that from Shinji?" she asked.

Asuka's face turned to a frown of disgust and she quickly shook her head in the negative. "Definitely not!" Her tone was evidently distasteful. She looked away. Hikari sat quietly and stared at her friend for a full minute before Asuka looked back, like a girl caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "I need it, like a drug addiction. Damn it, Hikari, how did you do it?" she whined, looking at her friend accusingly.

Hikari giggled as a guy came over and offered to buy both of them a drink. Asuka thanked him but quickly turned him away, it seemed her mind was specifically on one guy and second best was not on the menu. "In all honesty, Asuka, getting Toji was child's play compared to what you and Shinji have." She covered her grin as Asuka bit her inner lip and pouted. "But with your stubbornness and his will to never give up... you might not be able to resist killing each other long enough to get married. Oh, but you two already are!" she laughed outright as Asuka blushed before joining in.


End file.
